Fidelity
by Sabrialluna
Summary: Sigyn has been a prisoner for over fifty years. She doesn't know where she is, who captured her, but she does know why. She doesn't think she's human. After so long a mysterious blue cube shows her there is a chance she could escape. But nothing is ever straightforward. She'll have to work hard to survive and help a man worse off than she is. Set before/during Avengers. Slow Burn.
1. Fifty Years

**Thanks for reading! A bit of brief information before you dive into the story: The beginning is a bit slow-moving, but is needed for character and plot development. Also, even though this story is marked as Loki/OC it will take some time for connections to start. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Her day started exactly the same as it had for the past fifty years. She woke up on a bed that was little more than a rug and covered in a thin sheet that did almost nothing to protect her from the cold of the room. There was nothing to tell her what the time of day it was and her internal clock had long been disconnected. For all she knew it was the middle of the night, or the sun could be high in the sky.

The sound that woke her was a metal tray hitting the floor of her concrete cell, and it was the sign of the start of another cycle she called a day. Her opening eyes were the only movement she made despite the blinding lights. There was no point in hurrying to the food that only tasted of cardboard. It was cold anyway. She couldn't remember the last time she had hot food.

She waited for something, anything, to happen. But just like the past 18,000 days, no one came to rescue her. No one would ever come to rescue her. Instead, the cycle of the day continued. Nothing would break it. But today, she didn't get up like she normally did. Instead, she lay there, her dull red hair a tangled mess around her.

She had tried so hard to escape at the beginning, not letting her small stature deter her from trying to intimidate some of the guards that had been posted to her cell all that time ago. She had planned her escapes piece by piece. Years of thinking every step through, exploring each scenario she could think of in case something went wrong. But it was as if they were watching her, could read her mind. Every time she got close to executing her plan, she was shoved into another cell, a different one nothing like she had been in before. She never could figure out how they always knew.

She wasn't a patient person, but having spent years devising escape plan after escape plan made her realize that sometimes the right opportunity was something worth waiting for. Especially when she was moved from place to place so often.

The marks she had made on the walls had been lost. She tried to remember each day, tried to number them, write them down. But the number slipped from her head as the food became less nourishing and she started to starve. By the time she had entered her third cell, she had completely lost track of the days. But she didn't have a choice. When she compared the rest of her life to the time she had spent in cell after cell, she estimated it to be about 50 years.

Her entire day was in this cell, staring at the walls, trying to think of any way to escape, even if it was just for a moment. But every day she ate the cold, slimy, cardboard, drank the water that tasted like metal, and slept on the rug that seemed to steal her body heat.

When her stomach finally rumbled enough and started cramping in protest, she got up, her body weak from the lack of proper nutrition. She crawled to the spot her tray had been pushed to, only a foot away from her would-be bed, and nibbled slowly on the grey block of squishy, slimy sludge. The woman had noticed, early on, if she took her time eating the portions of the meal that was fed to her, the less time she would have to sit and wait and think the day away. She chewed each nibble twenty times, swallowed, and repeated until the block of food was gone. Then she would take a turn with the water, drinking it one sip at a time, mostly so she didn't cause herself to be sick after the cardboard taste that seemed to stick in her mouth. She swished the water around for several seconds, replacing the food taste with the metal one.

It was a long process, but she needed it to cope. She knew that the speed she ate at was the only thing she could really control about her day. There was nothing else that she had a say in. When the woman had finished, she pushed the tray up against the little door in the actual door to the cell, so the person who came by to collect the tray would just take it and leave. She had no interest in talking with anyone who had kept her locked up for a fourth of her life. She didn't even want to see them.

A little while later, when the tray door was unlatched, a hand popped through, grabbed the tray quickly, and the door was locked again. The woman had tried grabbing the hand once and in turn she had almost lost her own. She had gripped the man's hand tightly and yanked on it as hard as she could. The man hadn't been completely thrown off by her attack, but she had been able to get a good grip on his fingers. But, despite her usually quick reaction time and because of her weakened body from the less nutritious food, the man had pulled her arm completely through the hole and she felt a sting as the skin of her wrist was pierced by a blade. She had squeezed a little tighter, and the knife cut a little deeper into her wrist, blood flowing freely over her hand. She let go, knowing there was no way she would be escaping that day.

An infection had developed in the wound because she didn't take care of it the way she should have. Eventually, the infection and sickness because of it was so bad she passed out from the fever that swept over her body only a few days later. When she woke up, there had been a bandage over the cut, and while she felt weak, she didn't have a fever and the pain from the infection was gone. That had been her last desperate attempt at escape. After that, she gave up.

So now she watched the hands, sometimes a woman, sometimes a man, put in and take out tray after tray. It was the only real way she had to mark the passage of time. She took naps in between meals, now weaker as the portions of food grew smaller and smaller. It had been happening over a period of what had to be a few months, and she was sure they didn't think she would notice, but she did.

It reminded her of the first five years she had spent as a prisoner. Test after blood drawl after test had been performed on her, learning everything they could without actually cutting her open. She was confused as to why they had decided to test her again. They were pushing her to the limit, finding out how many calories she would need before she became so weak she couldn't function. But why now? Why start the tests anew? There was really no reason that she could think of. She had been here for so long. They had had ample time to test every theory they may have thought of. Why now?

The woman, after sitting for hours contemplating about the food, her blue eyes staring unseeing at the wall, finally decided it didn't matter. Eventually, they would push her to her limits, and finally, they would push past them. Once they did, she would make sure that they didn't get what they wanted. She would be slowly starved, her body would break down pieces of itself, slowly eating away at any fat she had left, then her muscles, then, finally, organs that her body was dependent on.

The woman had been on the cusp of starvation before, and it was not something she wished to experience again. But, there was something she could do, something she had considered a long time ago when she thought she had no alternatives. She would have to suffer through starvation if it came to that. But she could limit her suffering, even if it would only last for a few hours at a time. And eventually, those hours would grow longer, and even longer, until eventually there would be nothing for her to wake up to.

That was the last resort, she hadn't approached those thoughts since the beginning of her captivity. But she was ready for this to end. These last fifty years had changed the redhead in ways that she had never imagined possible, even when she began to discover how different she really was. What she had been through…

She herself was unsure as to how she survived. The only thing she could guess was that the strange things that seemed to happen to her, things that she had discovered over time, had allowed her a way to adapt to terrible things that normal humans would never have lived through. She had had many breakdowns over the years. In the beginning, it had been from the pain. The torture they had inflicted on her had caused certain parts of her brain to shut down, to not have to deal with the pain. It had taken her twenty years to recover from the torture they inflicted on her for over five years.

After that twenty years, she had recovered enough to finally, completely, come back to her full self. She would never be the same she knew, the scars, both physical and physiological, ran much too deep for her to ever fully recover. But she had been able to start to plan again, for her mind to function at a normal level instead of the survival mode she had been forced to live in.

But, the thirty years after that had been worse in many ways. For thirty years, she had been moved place to place, never really aware of where she was, who was taking her to the next cell, or if she would ever escape. She had given up hope of rescue long ago when the loneliness had started to set in.

The loneliness, that was the worst part. For over forty-five years, the only touch she could remember was a cruel one. They only wanted to hurt her. They cared for her most basic needs: food, water, shelter. But there was another level of need that every person required, one that she had been refused. At least at the beginning she had some form of human contact, something other than a hand reaching in and out of a cell to give her food. But now, after her torture, the only human contact she had was when they were moving her. And that wasn't enough to survive, or at least it wouldn't have been for a normal human. But the woman had known for a long time that she wasn't normal, that she may not even have been human at all.

And just like that, her day started to end as it had for the past fifty or so years, with limited variation. Once a week, a door would open from inside her tiny cell, and a small shower would appear. Time was limited, and the woman quickly stripped her clothes, standing under the cold water, and letting it wash over her. She scrubbed and cleaned as best she could, knowing that she was probably going to have to skip using the bar of soap to wash her hair to make sure that other parts of her body would be clean. She didn't mind so much though. She had been much dirtier for a much longer time than a couple of weeks.

But after drying off and putting on the fresh clothes that were provided to her this week, she climbed back into her bed, not even having the energy to wait for the food that always came after her shower. The woman was so exhausted that only a few moments after she lay down, she was asleep.

* * *

In the same building, but on a different level, a young woman listened as two high up officials discussed the red-headed prisoner that was displayed on three different monitors in the surveillance room.

"She's one of them, isn't she? Like what we saw in New Mexico."

"From the past records we can only guess," answered a man.

"How long has she been here?" The first speaker, a woman, asked. Her voice wasn't full of curiosity, she just simply wanted the information to make an informed decision on how threatening the woman was.

"There are no records for when she was first captured, but she has been here longer than I have. Longer than anyone who has ever worked here."

There was a pause and the young woman listening to their conversation was suddenly filled with curiosity. And sadness.

"And the reason for her continued imprisonment?"

"No one knows. I haven't met a person yet who knows who she is. The only thing I can guess is that she may have some sort of information that could avoid a repeat of New Mexico."

"Does she have a name?" The woman asked, and the young woman paused in her surveillance to listen more closely, making sure she wouldn't miss it.

"She has only ever been referred to as Sigyn."


	2. Apple Juice?

The woman they called Sigyn was moved to a different place only a few days after that conversation between the man and woman. There had been a larger portion of food waiting for her when she woke, and more than just the block of sludge. There had been some rice in a bowl resting next to a larger than usual cup of water. It was then that she knew something had changed.

The sludge tasted no different, but the water lacked the metal taste that Sigyn had never been able to get used to. Despite that, the rice, though very plain and sticky, was the best thing she had tasted in at least forty years. She scarfed it down so quickly, not even bothering to taste it before she swallowed, that she choked and had to cough to clear her airway. The rice and the block of sludge were gone before Sigyn could stop herself. Food, even something as simple as rice, was food. Sigyn had never thought she would taste anything real again.

Over the next several days things had continued to improve. Showers were now a bi-weekly occurrence, new clothes waiting for her each time. There was even a clean sheet in the first pile that waited for her. The rice had increased in quantity every day. It tasted no better than the first time she had eaten it, but Sigyn felt that she had no room to complain after decades of the sludge they had been feeding her.

And then, everything changed. The lights in her cell suddenly went out, dragging Sigyn out of what had been a restless sleep. The only light came from the cracks around the door, but it wasn't enough to see by, especially since Sigyn's eyes would take time to adjust to this new darkness.

Sigyn, feeling the rush of adrenalin pump through her body for the first time in ten years, forced herself to a corner of her cell, sliding down and making herself the smallest possible target. She waited there, staring at the door for what she thought was hours. She kept anticipating that the door would open and she would be forcefully taken away from her cell to a different prison. The cycle of tensing when she thought someone would come in, then relaxing when they didn't took a toll on her body and mind.

She didn't enjoy this prison, but it was the best one she had ever had the misfortune of being in. It was cold, but it wasn't damp. It was sterile but it was clean. She was fed sludge, but at least she wasn't starving to death. As much as she hated this cell, she didn't want to leave. She had felt as safe as she could in her circumstances, and while she could do nothing to prevent anything that would happen to her she just _knew_ that she had to stay here. It was the only place she felt was her own.

Time continued to pass slowly. Each second Sigyn sat there, the less energy she had. No food was pushed through the hole in the door, the lights never coming back on. Sigyn could see the shape of her hand as she waved it in front of her face. She could see the shape of the rug she called a bed, the small protruding toilet in the wall, the outline of the door that the shower popped out of the wall twice a week.

But Sigyn was tired. Her adrenalin had been absorbed by her body hours ago, and she could no longer feel it running through her veins. She grew weary with each passing minute, her eyes slipping closed before she forced them back open. She had to keep watching the door, she refused to be taken away unaware.

Sigyn's eyelids drooped, and it was several moments before she forced them back open again. A small shadow danced across the sliver of light that entered her cell, something she would have missed had she not had the strength to make her eyes open. Sigyn, seeing it and crushing herself into the wall farther, tensed and waited for the door to open. Adrenalin pulsed through her veins for a second time, causing her heart to beat faster, her entire body on alert.

She watched, waiting for another shadow to pass over her door, but there was nothing. Sigyn sat in that corner for a while longer as the beating of her heart slowed. Her eyes grew heavy again, and she forced them to stay open. She fought with herself as her head slowly slumped forward, only for her to wake up and snap her head back lightly against the wall.

But time and exhaustion took their toll, and eventually, Sigyn fell asleep.

The quiet sound of the door scraping across the floor caused Sigyn to startle awake. The light shining through the door almost blinded her, but she could see several human shapes in the doorway blocking part of the light. Sigyn expected there to be a lot more noise, people talking, the clink of chains, but there was only silence. They walked into her small cell, crowding the space, causing Sigyn to push herself as far into the wall as she could. But she was still there, not able to disappear into the walls of her cells like she wished she could.

As they approached her, she felt an influx of emotions that weren't her own. The defenses she had built years ago after her full ability had manifested had since faded from disuse. She had no emotions to practice repelling except her own, and even she had never been able to silence the spinning thoughts of her own mind. Sigyn had given up trying to keep her mental wall up years ago when there was no one to protect herself from. It had cost too much energy to keep it maintained and with how little she was given to eat, Sigyn had directed her precious energy elsewhere. She regretted that now. It would have been hard, but she chastised herself for the lack of even a small barrier. She wouldn't have been incapacitated completely from the sudden onset of emotions if she had used any extra energy at the end of the day to maintain her barriers.

The two people that had entered her cells approached her cautiously, though Sigyn could only see their intimidating figures. They gently took her by the arms, but pain still laced up her shoulders as they pulled her to a standing position. She let out a small whimper that broke off halfway through the sound, her voice suffering from years of disuse.

She was shaky on her feet, scared, tired, and still weak. But she didn't struggle as the two people gently pushed and guided her to the open door. She had been through a cell transfer enough times to know that it was useless to try to escape. It was always useless to try to escape, especially when she was weak as she was now.

After Sigyn and those two people, who she could now tell were men, stepped out of the cell, she stumbled, the light blinding her for several moments after spending so much time in such a dark place. The onslaught of emotions that suddenly whipped over her was overwhelming. She tried to ignore them, but they only grew stronger could tell that there were five people there, four men and a woman. Their emotions of anger, sadness, impatience, and indifference washed over her, dragging her farther down than the weight of her own emotions ever could have.

Sigyn felt dazed as they gently nudged her to walk down the hallway and then pulled her into an elevator. The emotions had been terrible before, but now the six of them piled close together in such a small space caused Sigyn's head to reel as she lost balance. The sensation of the elevator moving, though she couldn't tell if it was up or down, caused her to topple over completely, falling into the man on her right. The gentleness in which the two men gently pulled her up then supported her by her arms was confusing. Sigyn had only experienced rough and painful touches since the time she had been here, and that gentle support broke her resolve to pieces.

The guard to her left adjusted his hold, settling low enough for his bare hand to touch her uncovered arm. His emotions rushed through that connection, amplifying it until Sigyn was completely overcome by his emotions. The most prominent one was sadness. It ran deep into his mind, a web of tangled thoughts and other sensations. The sadness closest to the surface was one based on the roots of survival, the instinct all humans had to care for another person. An instinct that was currently directed towards her.

But deeper than that was the sharp aching pain of grief. The man had lost someone recently. Sigyn could tell that they had been close, and she sensed that the man whose hand was touching her arm was a father. The emotion ran deeper, telling her that the grief this man felt was for a young son, one that he had lost and would never see again.

With a weak cry, Sigyn tugged her arm, trying to dislodge the man's hand. He didn't let go, but he did shift his hand so that there was no longer any skin to skin contact. Sigyn's head drooped, eyes pooling with tears for the man's sadness which led to her own hopeless existence. Salty drops fell onto her face, slowly at first, then faster until there were wet spots on her shirt and then on the ground between her feet. She made no noise but it was obvious from the way her body hunched in on itself and the way she let her hair cover her eyes. The tension in the air became even more tangible than before as the other five people in the elevator realized she was crying.

The elevator came to a stop, and the door dinged as it opened. The group exited, Sigyn moving her feet as quickly as she could to keep up with the pace that had been set. She looked up from between tangled strands of her hair and saw that they were proceeding down a long hallway. They made a turn, continued down another, identical hallway, before they stopped before a door. The women in the group waved a card in front of a gray card reader, and it lit up green before the sound of hissing air invaded Sigyn's ears. They kept walking down hallway after hallway, stopping three more times to allow the woman to open the door before finally descending a long staircase that was winding around a large cylinder-shaped structure.

Sigyn couldn't help but look up from her feet several minutes later, feeling as if the room they were passing was important. It had a large square opening from the hallway she was being escorted down. It was some sort of lab, a place full of equipment and electronics that Sigyn didn't understand. Where she was looking was one side of a large room with a high, domed ceiling. In it sat a series of panels, upright, looking as if they had just been constructed. There were wires, equipment, lights, sounds. Sigyn had a hard time comprehending the entire scope of the room and she knew she could only see part of it.

Despite all of the new and interesting things in front of her, the most curious, and also the scariest part of the room were the people. There were so many of them, moving about from one place to the next, dragging equipment along the width of the room. And their emotions were a wiggling, writhing beast that hit Sigyn with the force of a horse. Her feet didn't stumble, her body just stopped moving and supporting itself. Her arms tugged painfully as she fell forward, but she didn't feel the pain because of the wave of emotions invading her mind.

It took many moments for old, almost forgotten practices to come back to her. Taking a deep shuddering breath, Sigyn concentrated on the emotions of only one person, herself. If she let her mind and emotions be invaded for much longer she knew she would lose her sense of self. She didn't particularly want to be where she was, guarded by five people in a room full of things she didn't understand, a prisoner of people she didn't know, but being aware was better than what might happen if she didn't get herself under control. She could be a husk, still having awareness, but living a life devoid of any emotions at all. She had only been close to that point once, when her ability had manifested, and she didn't feel a need to repeat it.

In only a few breaths, using practices that had been so familiar once and were now a struggle, Sigyn managed to push a shaky wall around her mind, effectively blocking the worst of the emotions that were circulating the room.

She got her feet under her, realizing that her group of people had stopped, waiting for her to pick herself up, or for someone to just drag her down the hall. But Sigyn looked up, seeing all the faces staring at her through the bodies of the group of people that surrounded her. But there were three people in particular that her eyes were drawn to.

The three of them, their bodies angled in a way that suggested they had been talking to each other, had all turned their heads to look at her. One of the men was dark-skinned, wearing all black, bald, and had an eyepatch. He looked angry, though Sigyn couldn't decide if it was directed towards her or something completely unrelated. The other man had lighter skin, a round belly, and a confused look on his face. He didn't look particularly intelligent, but something about him told Sigyn that he was much smarter than his looks gave away. He would be important. But the woman was the one that Sigyn's eyes locked on.

She was taller than Sigyn, thin, wearing a black suit with weapons she had never seen. Her brown hair was pulled up behind her head, her blue eyes staring into Sigyn's with a look cold calculation. Sigyn had seen the look before and knew that the woman would do nothing to help. Sigyn looked away, not wanting to see the faces of people she knew would never help her.

The group passed the entrance of the room, entering another endless hallway. The farther from that giant emotion-filled room she was, the easier it was to hold the wall around her mind. But, as the group turned another corner, the walls crumbled, and Sigyn could feel the emotions of the other five people hit her again. She could only cringe. Her strength had given out. At least what she had done had allowed her to pass out of the influence of the mass of people in that room.

Several steps later the group reached a door, different from the others. This one had a small window in it, and a manual deadbolt lock as if the electronic locks couldn't be trusted. The woman, just as she had for every other door they passed through stepped forward. She unlocked this door with a key, not a card. She pulled the door open with a sad look at Sigyn.

Just as gently as before, the two men that held her arms guided her through the door and into the white cell. Sigyn didn't resist as they settled her on the bed shoved against the far wall. She sat there as they left, the door closing behind them, and the lock clicking into place. The women, then one of the men that hadn't been holding onto her arms on the way to this new cell looked through the window in the door. Their mouths moved, but no sound penetrated through the metal that separated guard and prisoner. Then they disappeared. Sigyn could only feel relieved when their emotions left as they walked away.

After a few moments to adjust, Sigyn took a look around her newest place of residence. The room was larger than her last cell and was better in every way she could think of. Sigyn could already tell that the air was warmer, that she wouldn't shiver at night like she had for several years. There was a bed, a real one. There was no frame to it, that would be too risky in a cell meant for a dangerous prisoner, but there was a mattress, complete with sheets, a pillow, and even a heavy blanket. In the back corner was a small alcove where the toilet sat. A wall blocked it from the view of the door, but it was still open. The cell was bigger than her old one, allowing her to take more than two steps in any direction. She could take five nice sized paces down the length and width of the room.

But Sigyn didn't leave the mattress. She was afraid that there had been a mistake, that it wasn't hers. She kept glancing at the door, worried that someone was going to take that comfort away from her. So Sigyn slipped between the sheets, pulling the blanket up around her chin, clutching it tight. She felt safer tucked into the bed. She didn't sleep, even though the lights dimmed signaling the end of the day. Instead, she let out a shuttering breath, hoping that it would calm her. But the time for calming breaths was gone. Only moments later Sigyn's body was taken over, wracked by sobs that she couldn't control.

It was a long time after her tears left dried tracks down her face that Sigyn finally drifted off into something that was almost sleep. She lay there in that half-asleep haze, not worrying about what would happen next, but also too fearful to pass into anything deeper than a doze.

A small, almost silent beep brought her out of that sleepy haze, and she raised her head to find the source of the noise. There was a small red light by the door, one that blinked over and over. Sigyn, tired, but unable to ignore her curiosity, climbed off the mattress and went to the blinking light.

There was a door about waist high, a small handle attached to it horizontally. Gingerly, she pulled the handle, jumping when the door folded down. Sigyn crouched slightly, turning her head to get a better view of what was inside. It was food. Sigyn reached in, pulling the tray out, finding a block of sludge, rice, and mashed potatoes? Was that…Was that actually apple juice in her cup?

Sigyn pulled the tray towards her, clutching it tightly. Not bothering to go back to sit on the bed, she used her fingers to gently dip out a mound of mashed potatoes. She shoved her fingers into her mouth, then moaned at the wonderful taste. It was like the rice, plain and unseasoned, but it was creamy and soft. She had missed real food.

Sigyn savored every bite of rice and mashed potatoes before eating the block of sludge and washing it down with small sips of the weak watered down apple juice. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so happy.

Her stomach the fullest it had been for a long while, Sigyn decided sleep was the next thing she needed. She knew she had been malnourished, had not been able to do anything about it, but she needed time to recover. Food, time, and sleep would work wonders on both her physical and mental health.

Even though Sigyn had only just climbed out of bed to eat, she returned to it, happy that it was so comfortable and still slightly warm. Sigyn decided a few moments later that she would only leave the security of the blankets that covered her for food and to take care of necessary bodily functions. Otherwise, she would give herself plenty of time to rest and start to recover from the day of emotional torture. And when she woke, she would start practicing keeping a wall maintained around her mind. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened earlier that day. But for now, she slept.


	3. Improvement

The days were less terrible than they had been before, but the boredom returned with a vengeance. Sigyn had determined that she was still too weak to spend more than a few moments every hour or so building the wall around her mind. The process drained her, and by the end of each day, she was exhausted. But she wasn't so tired that she didn't notice the daily visitors she had right before her evening meal was delivered.

They looked at her through the window in the door, watching as she went about her business. Surely they would get bored eventually, because going about her business was nothing more than sitting on her mattress, staring at the wall, the door, the place the food came out of, or the newly discovered seam in which the shower extended from in the same small alcove as the toilet. She practiced blocking their emotions, testing the walls she built up over those small moments, gauging how much she had improved from the night before. It was slow progress, but she pushed herself to the edge of her ability until she thought she would faint from the strain.

When she was no longer able to hold up her wall, she would look through the small window, still sitting on her mattress, and study the faces pressed to the other side. Most of them were young and curious. They only came in pairs, probably too afraid to draw attention from others as they observed the prisoner who didn't age. Once they realized she could actually see them, their faces disappeared from view, the quiet beep sounding as her meal was pushed through from the other side, and then their emotions retreated down the hallway.

Sigyn had counted at least eight days since she had been put in this new cell, and already she was improving. There was a definition to her body that hadn't been there before, her skin, while pale, wasn't sickly looking, and she was able to get up and move when she wanted, not having to save her energy.

As each day had passed, Sigyn had been surprised at the small bits of energy her body was now collecting. She knew she had been tired before, and she still felt tired now, but the exhaustion she felt now was nothing in comparison. With these small improvements, and the hope that the more nourishing food would still come, Sigyn might actually be able to come up with a plan of escape.

On the eighth day, when the usual man and women dropped off her breakfast, Sigyn had found something unusual behind the small door along with her food. There was the tray of rice, mashed potatoes, a smaller block of sludge, an apple which had been added to her meal the day before, and a cup of grape juice.

Behind that tray was something that Sigyn hadn't seen for longer than she cared to remember. A hairbrush. Temporarily forgetting about her food, Sigyn grabbed the brush and started working on her terribly knotted hair. It would take days for her to fully untangle, but Sigyn had the time. She ate her breakfast, built a wall around her mind and maintained it for a few seconds, before returning to her hair.

The hours of that day passed much the same, Sigyn brushing her hair, pausing to rest her hands and to put up a wall and hold it for a few moments before letting it fall and repeating the process.

A quiet beep started her out of the daze she had been drawn in by, and she looked over to see the red light blinking. Confused, Sigyn sat her brush down on the mattress and went to the small door. Opening it found a neatly folded stack of cream fabric. Walking back to the bed, she sat the stack down, pulling the top piece open to reveal a long shirt. The next was a pair of trousers, a drawstring at the waist. Sigyn, having not received such nice clothes in a long time hurried to put them on. It was a wonderful feeling having fresh clothes, ones that were clean and smelled of an interesting combination instead of the scentless soap she used during her shower to wash the worn fabric as well as she could.

The last three pieces of folded fabric was sheets to replace the ones currently on her bed, and a blanket to replace the one she already had. Sigyn worked slowly, unsure of why she would suddenly be provided with these new luxuries, but not willing to question her stroke of good luck too much. She decided that the old blanket would remain on her bed with the new one. She no longer shivered as she fell asleep after her evening meal, but it was still cold in the cell with all its surfaces that offered no insulation. Her old clothes and the dirty sheets she put in the little door the new ones had come through.

They were not retrieved immediately just as Sigyn thought, but she didn't mind. She had new clothes! Things were looking up. She was almost being treated like a human again. Almost.

Her dinner came soon after, and the dirty sheets and clothes were gone from the compartment when she opened it. She had ignored the two men who looked through her window, focusing on her food instead, still savoring each bite. She was as happy as she had been for the past two weeks that it wasn't just the sludge she was being fed.

Sigyn climbed into her bed as the lights dimmed, now with two blankets weighing down on her, making her feel the safest she had experienced since she had been put in this cell. She was completely warm for once. The day had been one of the best she had ever lived through. After successfully brushing the tangles out of the bottom fourth of her hair, receiving new clothes and bedding, and blocking the emotions of her two onlookers without exhaustion as they brought her dinner and looked into her window, she felt as if the day was an accomplishment. She wanted to be free of her prison, but as far as days went, she had experienced much worse ones.

With thoughts of eventual freedom, Sigyn fell asleep, only waking once the beep of the compartment announced it was ready to be opened.

Her eyes were blurry once they opened, with crust at the corners. She had slept uninterrupted for the first time since she had started to gain her energy back, and she woke with a spring in her step like she had never experienced before.

She rolled off of her mattress, standing gracefully, and opened the compartment door to discover that she had been left something new on her tray. It was meat, and upon closer inspection, Sigyn found that it was a small slice of ham. She ate some rice first, slurping down orange juice, before taking a small bite of the ham. Immediately after swallowing, she took a bigger bite, chewing quickly, and biting off another piece before she had finished chewing the bite that was already in her mouth. Meat had always been her favorite food group, and to get a taste of it after so long was like going home, even if it was just for a moment.

 _She was ten years old, her family sitting around the dinner table. They weren't rich, but the food they ate was of the best quality, and she and her two siblings were able to go to a better school than most. Her mother pulled out a large pot of ham from the oven. The smell that was already lingering in the air became stronger as the steam wafted through the kitchen._

 _Her mother smiled at her father as she placed the ham on the table, and he stood to start carving. He placed generous piles of meat onto each of their plates as her mother started dipping out fried potatoes, steamed carrots, and green beans._

 _Once her father sat back in his chair, the five of them joined hands as her father led them in prayer. When he was done, they all began to eat._

Sigyn sat on her mattress, lost in that memory she didn't even know she had. She knew she had a mother and father, everyone did, but she hadn't remembered their faces. It had been so long ago, and her memories had become foggy from the constant state of starvation and malnourishment she had experienced over the last several decades. She had gained back snippets of her life before, but never something as solid and detailed as that memory was.

She knew it meant that her body was recovering more each day. There had been improvements, small but meaningful, for the past five days, and the hope in her chest grew with each passing improvement. She never expected to survive as long as she had, and she had never expected to make a full recovery, though she still wasn't sure if she ever would. She was well on her way through, and that in itself was an accomplishment.

After the food was gone, Sigyn sat on the floor facing the door, her legs crossed and hands resting on her knees, her eyes closed. After being able to block the emotions of those two people the day before, Sigyn knew it was time to start cracking down on retraining herself.

She started with building the strongest wall she could, holding it for a few seconds, then letting it fall. She would take a deep breath then start the process again. It was hard work building the wall, but as the hours passed it started to become easier. She could hold the wall up for a shorter period each time she rebuilt, but Sigyn had expected that. That wasn't the purpose of this practice. The purpose was to make her wall stronger, to practice the act of actually pulling it up so when she needed to it would be second nature.

She took an hours break before the two guards who would bring her food arrived, and laid in bed, resting up for her next test. The emotions of the guards, another man and woman, brushed against her mind, caused her to wake from her doze, and she settled back on the ground in the same position as before. When they were right outside her door, Sigyn built a wall as quickly as she could, sighing in relief as their emotions became muffled to a point that they were almost gone. She spent the time the guards remained there finding ways to strengthen the wall so that no emotion was able to get through, and committed the improvements to her memory to make sure that the next time she built a wall it would be stronger.

Exhausted to the point of passing out, Sigyn opened her eyes and they fell immediately to the faces in the window. She didn't know it, but despite her exhaustion, her eyes were alight with an icy fire that instantly sent the guards putting her food in the compartment then scurrying off.

Sigyn ate quickly, had a brief shower to wash away traces of the sweat that accumulated over her day of mental exercise, and fell onto the mattress, pulling the blankets over her before she fell asleep.

Her mind hurt. Her brain throbbed with every heartbeat as if she had been hit over the head repeatedly. Despite her mental muscles being so strained, Sigyn, after she had eaten her usual breakfast of rice, mashed potatoes, a sludge block, orange juice, and ham, had settled back into the same position as the day before. Instead of bringing up a wall, she cleared her mind of everything. She slowed her thoughts until the only thing she thought of was the silence that had surrounded her. No emotions, no pain, no thoughts.

After she had been that way for an hour, Sigyn started building the walls, taking her time, adding to it layer by layer, replicating what she had built last night to keep the emotions out. She held it as long as she could until the pain came back and she was forced to drop it with a gasp.

Her mind throbbed again, strained with the work it had been put through, but she only meditated, clearing her mind once more before building and holding the wall a second time. When the wall fell, she repeated the process, completing a third time, when she stopped, the strain on her mind too much to continue.

Instead, she stood up, taking the brush from the floor where she had left it, and started untangling her hair once again. As she worked on her hair, she started pacing around the length, then width of her cell, walking in the square shape. It wasn't much exercise, but it was something to get her muscles to stretch, to start to strengthen them. They were weak after having spent several years in a cell that was just big enough for her to stretch out while laying down, let alone allowing her to stretch her legs by walking.

Her legs grew shaky after a time, and her arms tired after pulling and untangling her mass of hair. She finally allowed herself some rest, sitting on top of her blankets and leaning against the wall. She closed her eyes for what only felt like a moment, but was awakened by the faint emotions that were coming closer and closer.

Sigyn swung her eyes towards the window, not really feeling like being watched after the exhausting day she had put herself through. She just wanted to eat, crawl under the blankets and sleep until her mind wasn't throbbing anymore. But she knew that she couldn't slack off, that her ability to stay herself depended on how well she could protect her mind. So when the guards, two men, were close enough, she snapped her wall in place, just as she had practiced, and was happy to find that it blocked their emotions out of her head.

When they peaked through the window, and saw her staring at them, they put her food in the compartment without another look. Sigyn's walls were falling by the time they were halfway down the hallway, but she felt happy in her success of keeping them completely blocked for almost the entire duration of their stay. She was exhausted, mentally and physically, so she ate quickly, almost not tasting the food, and fell asleep.

 _Her mother was in her room, laying covered in blankets, pale and glistening with sweat as the girl and her two siblings stood at the foot of the bed. Her father was in a chair next to his wife, holding her hand as her labored breaths became slower with each passing minute._

 _The girl was seventeen, her brother fifteen, and her sister only twelve, and she stood between them, holding each of their hands in hers. She could feel their emotions churning with sadness, grief, and worry, and she did her best to soothe away their pain while hiding her own. She would stay strong for them, and for her mother and father, until she could go to a place where her outbreak wouldn't affect anyone._

 _But until she could, she stood tall and strong for her family._

 _As the light outside the windows grew dimmer, her mother started asking for her sister. Her father stood, allowing her sister to sit by the bed and hold her hand as they talked. While the two of them sat there, the girl took her father's hand, doing what she could to help keep him calm during her mother's last moments. She let go of her brother's hand when her mother started asking for him next, and took her sister's hand in her now empty one, looking at her tear-streaked face. She didn't take away her grief, but simply made it more bearable. She refused to let the last thing her mother would see to be her hysterically sobbing daughter._

 _Then her mother finally asked for her. The girl let go of her sister and father's hands, taking her brother's place in the chair._

" _Take care of them," her mother whispered to her. "You have always been the strongest of us, but you must not let my passing affect you so much that you forget to support them. Do you understand?"_

 _Her mother's grip on her hand was tight, and she could feel the desperation and the pain that her mother felt._

" _Of course, mother. Of course, I'll take care of them."_

 _Her mother nodded. "One more thing," her mother said, her voice becoming weaker, and the girl leaned down, making sure that she caught every word. "There's a reason you're different, a reason your father and I never told you. You've given both your father and me so much, and I am so happy that you came into our lives. When things are better… When things are better make him tell you. Make him… tell you what happened… on your birthday." Her mother gasped for breath, and there was a long pause where no one spoke. "I love all of you."_

 _The girl clutched her mother's hand, drawing away her fear, and giving her calm and peaceful emotions. Only a minute later the girl felt her mother's emotions fade, and she took a deep breath, dropping her mother's hand and turning to the rest of her family._

" _She's gone."_

Sigyn woke with a gasp, her dream pulling at her mind as the memory settled into place. But the sound that had actually woken her, the sound of a key in a lock, brought her eyes to the door as she heard the deadbolt slip out of place.

Adrenalin pumped into her veins, causing her to jump up and settle into a defensive position she had learned a long time ago. She knew her muscles lacked the strength to use any of the maneuvers she had learned, and though she remembered how to do them she was sure that correct execution would be out of the question. But they could rot in hell if they thought she would go anywhere with them without a fight. Especially since she had the energy to actually defend herself this time.

Sigyn checked the walls around her mind, half surprised and half proud to find that she had already thrown them up, effectively blocking out their emotions. All those hours of building the walls around her mind paid off. At the very least it was now so natural that she didn't have to think to do it in a dangerous situation.

The door swung open, and the five same guards that had brought her here were standing outside her door. She stared at them, begging them not to come in, and also warning them. Sigyn knew it wouldn't work, but she had to try.

The woman stepped forward, less than half a pace inside the cell, and she spoke, looking into Sigyn's eyes.

"Please come with us. We don't want to hurt you, and we aren't taking you anywhere you could be hurt. Just come with us willingly." Her voice was soft, begging, empathetic.

Sigyn didn't believe it for one second. She let her walls drop some, just enough to snake out a tendril of her mind to try and find out how much of the truth the woman was telling.

Sigyn was surprised to find that the woman seemed to be telling the truth, and one of the men behind her seemed to believe her as well. But the man who held grief so deep in his heart for his son had emotions that were completely different. He felt disgust. It wasn't towards her, but towards someone who was a commander of the man. He didn't agree with whatever it was he had been told to do, but there was nothing he could do but follow the orders given to him. He would lose his job if he even tried.

One of the other two remaining men felt a glee at what was in store for her. His emotions were tainted with a sickening red feel, something that Sigyn only remembered encountering a long time ago in a much dirtier and darker place than this. The other man, who leaked with intelligence, seemed indifferent about the whole matter from his expression, and he had his emotions locked up tight. Her abilities were not strong enough to pierce the rather impressive shield that surrounded his mind.

She didn't have a chance to study the group more, for the woman took another step forward, allowing two of the men to follow her into the cell. Sigyn's shields snapped back up.

"No," was the only answer Sigyn gave to the woman's plea.

The woman's face turned sad. "I'm sorry, but we are only doing this for your own good."

The entire group stepped forward, farther into her cell and Sigyn prepared to fight.


	4. Practice Makes Perfect

They didn't rush at her as Sigyn was expecting, but instead took cautious steps, slowly getting closer to her. They were only two paces away, not quite close enough to touch, but Sigyn tensed her muscles, watching each person to see who would make the first move. It was the man to her right, the one who had the disgusting red coating his emotions. He quickly tried to grab her arm, but Sigyn pushed his outstretched arms away with her left forearm, and then reach forward with her right hand to slap him.

Slaps, while traditionally not any sort of maneuver that she had been taught, worked well when she was able to make good contact. The man didn't stagger back, but he was surprised by the sudden pain in his face. It gave Sigyn a moment to turn and swipe away the hands of the woman who was on her left.

She kicked low with her right foot, aiming and hoping to hit a third man in his knees, but he jumped backward, avoiding her. She dropped to the ground as she saw two pairs of hands reach for her, and she tried to squeeze into the space between two pairs of legs. It was no good, and a pair of hands suddenly caught her right arm.

She jerked her arm as sharply as she could, and the grip loosened enough for her to jerk again, pulling free. But then someone had ahold of her left arm, and when she turned to get those hands-off, the first pair had her right arm again. She jerked as sharply as she could, trying to throw them off balance, but she was still skinny and hadn't the weight or muscle to make a difference.

They started dragging her to the door, but Sigyn wiggled and threw out her feet, tangling them between her captors legs. It worked for a moment, and she dropped closer to the floor getting her feet under her, and she used every muscle she had in her legs to push up. She didn't go far, and it only helped as the two other guards grabbed her feet.

The four guards, each holding an appendage, held onto her as she wiggled and moved in unpredictable motions. But they were all stronger than her, and they carried her through the door and into the hallway.

Sigyn didn't stop her attempts to make them let go, but she made sure to pay attention to where she was going. They marched down the hallway for what Sigyn approximated twenty feet, passed two doors, one on the right and another directly across from it, before she was taken into another room on the opposite side of the hallway of her cell. She managed to look back, spotting her open cell door only a few feet down the hallway before she was carried into the room.

They put her in a chair facing away from the door, holding her down until four straps restrained her, allowing little movement. The straps on her ankles and wrists were tight, but she struggled against them anyway. She heard four sets of feet leave the room, the door clicking shut behind them.

Sigyn dropped her walls, only to slam them back up once she realized she wasn't as alone in the room as she thought she was. There were three people, one, the man who's mental shield Sigyn had been impressed by earlier, one man she didn't recognize, and another who's presence, while familiar in a way she didn't understand, struck fear into her so hard she started shaking.

Then an older man came into view, sitting on a stool with wheels, with a white jacket and equally white hair. He almost looked kind, but something told Sigyn he was anything but. When he spoke to her, it was in a soft voice that sent more fear through her mind, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly why.

"Ah, Sigyn." He smiled at her, showing his teeth. "It is a pleasure to see you again, and I must say the past fifty-two years have been more kind to you than they have to me." He looked at the clipboard held in his hand and scribbled down a couple of notes. "You may not remember me, but I was part of the team that worked with you when you were first brought here."

And then a memory hit her like bricks falling from the ceiling.

 _The table was cold against her skin, the metal sticking as she tried to move and escape the restraints. There were a lot of people around her, most covered in white suits with masks, moving about the room preparing to do something. They were talking about procedures, experiments that needed to be done, and how they would be done without killing the subject. Without killing her she realized._

 _There were people sitting above the room, looking in through glass windows, and most of them had military uniforms on. They were looking at her, and she met the eyes of one, making sure to show her fear, displeasure, and anger through her gaze. It didn't phase him in the least, and he just stared right back, saying something to a man that stood beside him, and then laughed._

 _Then her view was blocked with the face of a man, young, cheeks still rounded with youth. "Hi," he said, a smile dominating his face. "I'm doctor Barret, and you're Sigyn right?"_

" _No," she said, her voice trembling. "That's not my name, my name is-,"_

" _It doesn't matter," the doctor interrupted. "From now on, you'll be called Sigyn. Anyway, I'm one of the doctors who will be working with you for the next few weeks. There are many tests that we want to perform on you. Regrettably, many of those tests have to be done when you're awake, so we can gauge your reactions. I'm afraid it will hurt quite a lot."_

" _What?" she gasped, jerking against the straps holding her down. He only smiled again and put a mask on as she started to cry out. "You can't hurt me! That's not what doctors are supposed to do! Help, someone help me! You can't hurt me!" But Doctor Barret only laughed along with several of the others._

" _Doctor Barret," one of them called. "Would you like to make the first cut?"_

" _I would be honored," he said, the glee evident in his voice._

 _Doctor Barret took a spot to her right, a scalpel in his hand. He lowered it to her skin and with an exclamation of "here we go" he sliced across her stomach. She screamed, and all she knew was pain._

Sigyn gasped back to reality, covered in sweat and shaking so violently the chair rattled against the floor. Her eyes stared unfocused at the light in the ceiling, her mind trying to collect the little pieces of itself that had been scattered about.

"Ah, yes, I do see that you remember. Unfortunately, there will be no such experiments as those today. Today will only be a brief exam and obtaining a sample of blood from you. My young assistant, Doctor Gibson, will be taking blood from you today. If you'll just sit still."

Another man stepped forward, as young as Doctor Barret had been in her memory, and as kind looking. But the small, very sad smile he gave her comforted her as much as it could in that situation. This man didn't want to hurt her. He was here for a reason, and while Sigyn could feel curiosity leak through her walls from him, there was no malice, no need to hurt her to find out how she worked like Doctor Barret had. He was there for the sake of science and curiosity, not because he was a cruel animal like the doctor he was working under

While the man's emotions and presence helped soothe her mind a bit, she still couldn't stop the shaking. With an apologetic look, Doctor Gibson secured her upper arm with another strap.

"I'm sorry," he told her quietly. "You're shaking too much, I would cause more damage if I didn't keep your arm still."

Sigyn watched him as he washed his hands in a sink she hadn't noticed, put on white gloves, and brought over a tube and some small plastic vials. She watched as he prepared her arm by tying a flexible band above her elbow, then wiped her arm with a small cloth that smelled like alcohol, before taking the needle out of its package. She cringed away from it, not really wishing to experience the stick of a needle again. She had experienced enough of that for a lifetime.

She shied away as much as she could with her arm strapped down so tightly, turned her head away and closed her eyes. "Just a bit of pressure," Doctor Gibson said right before she felt the needle pierce her skin. She heard him change out the vial almost a dozen times before he finally took that painful band away and pulled the needle out. She didn't look as he placed a bandage over the spot, nor when he stepped away and Doctor Barret came back to sit next to her. There was a long pause, but she just stared at the wall opposite of where the doctors were standing.

A cold stethoscope was placed over her heart, causing Sigyn to jump and look, but it was Doctor Gibson who was standing next to her again, not Doctor Barret. He listened to her chest in several spots before putting the stethoscope into his pocket. Next, he placed a cuff around her arm before pressing a button on the machine attached to it.

Sigyn watched curiously as the machine pumped air into the cuff, and then the air released. Doctor Gibson took the cuff off, writing down her blood pressure on the clipboard before standing next to her.

"I'm just going to feel your stomach. Nothing to worry about, it shouldn't hurt a bit."

Doctor Gibson gently pulled her shirt up, revealing her stomach. He paused, staring for a moment at the thin scar that ran horizontally beneath her naval. Gentle, but firm, he pressed his fingertips to her stomach, asking if it hurt when he pressed here, then what about here? When he was done, he gently pulled her shirt back down and wrote another note on the clipboard.

"Well Sigyn," Doctor Barret said, his voice booming. "It seems that other than a severe case of malnourishment you seem to be in the same perfect health as you were fifty years ago. You'll have a bit more time to heal before we start the fun stuff."

Sigyn shuddered at the excitement in his voice and was happy to hear him leave the room. She really didn't want to find out what the 'fun stuff' was.

Doctor Gibson's voice quietly drifted to her ears a moment later. "I'll do everything in my power to make sure any testing we do will come as painless as possible." And then he left.

Five footsteps immediately walked towards her and hands started unstrapping her arms and legs. She didn't fight, too tired after the days events. She only held up her walls, knowing that once she was back in her cell and alone she could drop them and rest. They dragged her to her cell, laying her on the mattress and leaving once more.

The walls around her mind melted and Sigyn slumped, pulling the covers over herself. The memory that she had buried deep within her mind had reached the surface, dragging her through one of the worst things she had experienced in her life. That memory was the start of the worst year she lived through, and also marked the beginning of her imprisonment.

She never would have thought that Doctor Barret would still be alive, working with these people, and here to torture her again. She had hoped he was dead after these past fifty years, that she would never have to look at his face again.

But there were opportunities now that she knew he was alive. There was a chance, however small, that she might be able to repay him for what he had done to her, and probably to others as well. She didn't know how she would pull it off, but there was time for her to plan what she would do next. For now, the strain that had been put on her mind for holding the wall for so long was pulling her into sleep. She needed to heal, to help lock that terrible memory away before it tore her to pieces.

Sigyn briefly noticed that there were new sheets on her bed as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

The days returned to normal, though the food was starting to become more variable. They had started off with giving her different fruits, pears, bananas, mangos, before switching up some of the other foods. Her personal favorite was the night they gave her a pasta dish, so light on the tomato sauce she could hardly taste it, and a piece of plain bread to go with it. While the other food tasted good, she was happy to eat something different. She enjoyed every bite, and even marveled at the fact they had given her a fork to eat it with.

More items had started showing up in her compartment as well, a toothbrush, toothpaste, some actual shampoo for her hair instead of a bar of soap. They were small items, almost insignificant, but Sigyn knew to appreciate the little things. When she had finally finished brushing her hair out completely, all the tangles and snarls unraveled, they had actually sent her little rubber bands to put in her hair after she braided it.

She continued to receive new clothes, blankets, and sheets every two days. She always changed the sheets just for something to do. She could shower anytime she wanted, as she often did right before the guards brought her dinner.

She spent her days pacing her cell, doing what exercises she could remember to strengthen her body, and throwing up wall after wall until she only needed half a thought to protect her mind. She was able to hold the wall longer and longer, until one day, twenty-five days after she had been taken to that room for her medical exam, and thirty-three days after she had been put in this new cell, Sigyn was able to hold the wall around her mind for the entire day. She was exhausted afterward, but she was happy with her accomplishment.

Once she was able to hold the walls in her mind for three more days without interruptions, she decided it was time to move on to some of the harder things her abilities let her do. Changing a person's emotions was a delicate process, something that had to be done with care. If she were to go just a bit too far in pushing someone's emotions, their entire mind could be thrown off balance, causing damage that could take months to repair. Sigyn had even encountered a girl whose emotions had been so completely out of balance that she had ended up in a mental asylum for the rest of her life.

So the days were now filled with more pacing as Sigyn struggled to create emotion after emotion in a way that would be acceptable to manipulate someone with. It took some time, two full days, for Sigyn to get the first emotion just right. She had decided to start with loneliness, an emotion she was most familiar with. After spending the last four decades almost completely alone, Sigyn felt as if she knew the most about it.

When she had it just right, she waited for her evening meal, preparing herself to open her walls just enough so she could manipulate one of the guards feelings. She closed their eyes as they approached, and she picked the harder target of the two. Her chosen person felt particularly happy this day, and Sigyn, with a sort of glee that she had never felt, was excited to ruin that feeling.

She opened her mind just a little, feeling around the aura of the man's emotions, finding a spot to implant the tiny little spark. When she found it, she gently nudged the man's aura, settling the feeling into the spot she had chosen. She paused for a moment, waiting to see if the spark took or if the man's mind would expel it. His mind didn't reject it, and there was no panic in his emotions at the new sudden loneliness.

Sigyn, happy with her success so far, nudged the spark to expand, little by little, allowing it to continue to grow on its own when it reached that point. Sigyn sighed in relief. The hard part was getting the emotion to stick and grow. Once it started growing on its own, it would feel natural to the person, and not as if someone was forcing the emotion on him.

She retreated to her own mind for several moments, taking deep breaths, not letting herself become too excited yet. Then she reached out, slowly, gently, for the man's aura, and found it covered in the very emotion she had planted in his mind.

A grin, the first one in probably two decades, spread across her face. She opened her eyes to see the two guards looking at her through the window, one with a very sad look on his face, before they disappeared. The beep sounded from the compartment, and Sigyn opened the door, happy to find chicken on the tray instead of the ham.

She ate it, happy to feel that she wasn't as drained as she had been in the past few days. She paced her cell after eating, working on the next emotion she wanted to try. Anger. She practiced and worked until the lights dimmed, signaling the end of the day. She smiled as she pulled the blankets up to her chin, looking forward to the test she would give herself tomorrow.

Sigyn woke very happy and motivated. She started her day by brushing her teeth and hair, then paced around her cell, pulling her emotions in and around herself, preparing the next emotion she would be testing. She ate her breakfast of oatmeal and a single strip of bacon before going back to her pacing.

She was ready before she gauged it was even halfway through the day. So she started on other emotions, happiness, calm, sadness, fear. She had only remastered fear by the time the guards brought her dinner, and Sigyn was ready to pounce on them when they crossed into the range of her mind. She didn't pick just one guard and instead decided to manipulate both of them in different ways. One, a woman, felt calm and collected, while the other guard, also a woman, felt sad.

Sigyn dove into both of their emotions, planting seeds and sparks of anger and fear into both of their auras, nurturing the sparks until they grew on their own. She pulled back quickly, surprised by how easily efficient she had changed their emotions. They hadn't even reached her door by the time the sparks had grown to cover their entire aura.

The two women didn't even bother to stay and watch her through the window, just pushing her tray into the compartment before leaving. She smiled, proud of herself for the quick progress, and went to get her food.

On the tray was a cup full of unsweetened tea, chicken lightly seasoned, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, and a small pill labeled vitamins. Sigyn ate it all quickly, starving after working her mind so hard, and took the pill without much difficulty.

She put the tray back in the compartment, suddenly feeling very tired, and walked towards her bed.

She didn't make it to the mattress before she dropped gracelessly to the floor, completely unconscious.


	5. The Blue Cube

The darkness was all Sigyn could see. She had snapped awake suddenly, as if startled by a loud noise. But she couldn't hear anything at all except her own heartbeat and breath. She had tried to open her eyes, but there was nothing to see. The darkness surrounded her, pressing closer and closer, and it laughed at her panic.

She moved her arms, feeling around to help herself up, only to find that she couldn't move them. They were strapped down. Her legs were in a similar predicament and when she tried to free them she almost wrenched her wrists and ankles to the point of breaking. She stopped, panting, as she tried to calm her panic and confusion.

She couldn't manipulate her own emotions, not in the same way as she was able to affect everyone else, and that only made it harder for Sigyn to calm herself. It took some time and deep breaths to slow her heart and balance the chemicals and hormones in her brain. Only then was she able to think clearly.

She wasn't injured, except for the self-inflicted raw marks on her wrists and ankles. Her left side was a bit sore, probably from the fall she took when whatever drug they gave her had taken its toll. She tried to move, tried to determine how restrained she was and found that her shoulders, hips, and thighs were secured as well. She was reclined slightly, her back tilted at an angle instead of straight up and down like a normal chair, and her feet were resting on a part of the chair too. Her head was cradled by a headrest, and it was unexpectedly comfortable. Overall, while not exactly the best way to be spending time in a dark room, Sigyn was comforted by the lack of pain she was in. She had certainly been in worse positions.

Whatever these people wanted with her, they certainly didn't want her going anywhere, but they also needed her in good condition. They were feeding her, providing her with more than the basic necessities, things she had lived without for so long. She was in a dark room, yes, but the chair was comfortable, and despite being restrained, she didn't feel like she was in any immediate danger.

But why go through such measures? What was it they were going to do to her that they felt the need to use six straps to keep her in the chair? She must have put up more of a fight the first time then she realized if they felt this was necessary.

She stared into the darkness, waiting for something to happen. She used her mind to feel around for someone, anyone, within the range of her powers, a person to gain clues as to why she was here. But there wasn't a soul. Whatever was going on, they didn't want anyone near her when it happened.

It was sometime later, a long enough time that Sigyn was starting to feel tired, when a sudden red blinking light caught her eye. It was in a corner, that much she could tell, and she saw a small outline of a lens. A video camera then, much smaller than she remembered, but still a camera. Almost as soon as she had discovered the first one, a second blinking light showed up in the other corner.

By Sigyn's estimation of the distance between the two cameras, the room was probably no more than five or six feet wide. Otherwise, the dim red camera lights gave away nothing. Nothing except the fact that these people, her captors, were watching her. Something was definitely going on, and she didn't like it.

There was a faint mechanical noise, and each of the two cameras moved in different directions, back and forth, up and down, until finally settling on a spot Sigyn could only assume was herself. She tensed, waiting for something to finally happen, but there was nothing.

The chair was becoming uncomfortable, and her legs and hands were becoming numb. She could feel the tingles in her fingertips, and eventually in her toes. Nothing changed. The camera didn't move, there were no sounds, not a person entered her range, everything was as normal as it could be while she was strapped down to a chair. At least Doctor Barrett wasn't here.

And eventually, finally, things changed. Four straight cracks suddenly appeared in the wall directly in Sigyn's line of sight, a soft blue light shining through the square outline. She stared at it, unsure of how to react to this sudden change, but she was curious as to why this would be so important. She watched as a door slid up, revealing the thing that glowed so brightly that she had to close her eyes. After a few moments, she opened them and looked at the glowing object with narrowed eyes.

It was a mass of moving blue, the light emanating from within without interruption, though it was in a shape that Sigyn wasn't expecting. The light was contained in a box of glass, trapping the swirling blue within its walls. The box moved closer to her, the small silver table it was resting on growing closer, until it stopped, only three feet from her face.

She stared at it, studying how the blue fire danced and swirled around the core of blue light. Sigyn realized that it wasn't the cube itself that they were showing her, but the thing inside. The glass walls around it kept it contained, kept people safe from the power when handled. But the core of the cube wasn't something that could have been created by scientists. It was far too advanced and powerful. No, this was something else, something new and Sigyn had no idea how to approach.

Sigyn dropped her shields just enough to reach out towards the cube. She felt her mind go past the clear walls, for she was sure that ordinary glass never could have contained it, and gently brushed her mind across the thing at the center.

Her whole body jerked and tensed in surprise and shock. This thing, whatever it was, had power that she had never thought existed. It was in a constant state of motion, almost fluid in the way that it churned and moved, but it was completely impenetrable. Emotions were radiating off of it too, and it was something Sigyn had never felt before.

The emotions that rolled through her mind, some quickly and some more slowly, had no names and had not been experienced by herself or any person she had ever come into contact with. It was foreign, unknown. Sigyn stared at the cube and had no idea what to do. She could feel a vague form of curiosity from the core, though it was jumbled and twisted with other feelings she couldn't understand. They were curious about each other, each wanting to learn more. Sigyn, following the same instinct that had served useful in getting out of bad situations in the past, dropped her walls and allowed the blue fire to pour its own emotions into her mind.

It was a unique feeling, giving an object complete access to her mind, but she knew this was the right thing to do. Her instincts told her that this, what she was experiencing now, would turn into something amazing and powerful, even if she didn't understand it, even if she never learned why. So when Sigyn threw her mind open completely to the thing inside the cube, it reached forward, pulling her closer until her mind and the object were almost one being.

The things this object felt, the power within that little clear cube was overwhelming. The emotions that it was showing her was so immense it consumed her entire mind. She had no thoughts, no feelings of her own, and she was so completely surrounded by that blue glow that she knew nothing else.

It could have been seconds, or days, Sigyn didn't know or care. But eventually, the blue glow withdrew from her mind, taking its time. As the object's emotions faded from the corners of her brain, she grew aware of her body, feeling the numbness in her arms and legs, the ache of muscles. Her mind seemed the same as it had been, but also completely different. Sigyn was still herself, her thoughts her own, yet something within her had changed. She couldn't tell now, as the glow receded entirely from her mind, but there was a feeling as if some knowledge had been placed in her thoughts, just out of reach. The harder she tried to grasp for it, the more it buried itself behind emotions, walls, and thoughts.

She hardly noticed as the cube was pulled away from her, still sitting on that little table, and through the small opening before the door closed, blocking out its light completely. She was utterly exhausted, bone-weary as if the blue fire had sapped her strength when it consumed her mind. Her mind was raw on the edges, as if it had been scraped against the rough fabric of the rug she had used to call her bed. Knowing her mind was vulnerable to anyone who came near, she quickly put up a weak wall, hoping it would be enough to protect the sore spots.

And then she relaxed. Closing her eyes, her breaths getting deeper until she was in a state of half-sleep, she allowed herself to start processing everything the cube had showed her. Her half-awake dreams took her to a different place. She knew she was still strapped to that chair, but she could see children running down a street, laughing as they kicked a ball back and forth to each other. Then it changed into something similar, but different. There were still children, but they were dressed oddly, in clothes that Sigyn had never seen. Instead of a ball being kicked around, one of the children conjured a small circle of green magic and tossed it to another child, who passed it to another, who passed it to a forth. They too were laughing, just as the other children had. Just like children should.

Unexpectedly, a person appeared at the edges of Sigyn's awareness causing her to snap awake immediately, pulling her from the children in the street. The person was moving rather quickly towards her, though she noticed that they changed directions several times before moving directly towards her. They were walking through hallways in the building, she realized. As the person grew closer, she could recognize the emotion swirling around in his head, almost completely consumed by a disgusting red haze.

Sigyn reinforced her shield, throwing up everything she had, unable to stand the feeling of that man's mind so close to hers. She winced with the effort, her mind strained from weeks of hard practice and then the experience she had with the blue fire inside the cube. He was coming towards her with a purpose, and she could feel his determination. She cringed as much as she could while in the chair, hoping that he wouldn't spend too long with her, that he would leave her alone to recover.

The door opened, the lights flicked on unceremoniously, and then there was the sound of plastic wheels rolling against the ground. There were a few movements of material sliding against itself before he spoke.

"Well, that was quite a show you put on my dear."

Sigyn closed her eyes at the sounds of Doctor Barret's voice, unwilling to remember him at all.

"Unfortunately, the others think that you've had enough for the day, so there won't be any more tests or experiments on you. We do require samples of your blood, however."

Sigyn saw movement in the corner of her eye, and she closed them, unwilling to see the evil man. There was the sound of latex gloves snapping into place, a few other noises as Doctor Barret got the supplies ready, and then she felt the painful rubber piece wrapped around her upper arm.

She ignored everything he said, not even comprehending it enough to give a reaction, and felt the cold wipe on her arm before the needle was pressed into her vein. It seemed to take much longer than it had the last time, though there wasn't much she could do about it. She was completely at the mercy of the man who had caused her the most pain in her long life.

She felt the band on her upper arm release, the needle come out of her arm, more pressure as a bandage was applied to the spot, and then a different, sharp pain in her upper arm, just above where the band had been. She yelped, turning her head to look at the doctor.

"Don't worry," he told her with a smile. "It's only a mild sedative. You'll only be asleep long enough for me to take the straps off you. Just sleep like the good girl you are."

She tried to fight it, forcing her eyes to stay open as she glared at the man. But within seconds, it was impossible. Her eyes closed, her body relaxed, and the last thought she had was about how quick that stupid sedative had worked on her.

* * *

Her foggy mind had a hard time sorting through all the information coming from her senses. It took several moments for her body to adjust. First, she realized that she was still in the damned chair, though the straps were gone. There was light, bright enough to shine through her eyelids, but not enough for her to shy away from it. The air was cold, that she could feel on her bare arms and feet. Her body still ached on the left side, but her arms and legs were no longer numb.

She opened her eyes, confirming that she was still in the same room, though she was happy to be able to move freely. She quickly slid out of the chair, stumbling as her head felt like it was going in circles. When her balance returned she looked around the room. The cameras were still there, pointing at her with those blinking red lights. There was a small metal tray on wheels just behind the chair. There were three doors, as far as Sigyn could tell, the small one in which the cube had come through, a door behind the chair, where Doctor Barret had entered from the hallways, and a third one was wide open, showing a view of her cell. Was she seeing that right? Could she expect to return to her cell without any more fuss?

Sigyn couldn't see a problem with returning to her cell when they wanted her too, she didn't want to stay in the room with the chair. She was more than happy to be in her own space, to be able to crawl under the blankets and sort out what exactly had happened to her, how that blue cube had affected her. So she stepped through the doorway

As soon as she was through there was a _hiss,_ of air and Sigyn turned to see the door descend from the upper portion of the doorway, then fill in seamlessly with the wall of her cell. At least that explained why she had never noticed the doorway before.

There was food waiting in the small compartment, along with a small book, a title that she didn't recognize by an author she had never heard of. She would have to look at that later, right now she needed food. She ate slowly, feeling her stomach tighten and roll with every bite, though she couldn't determine why. She took a sip of water every so often, and when she was done eating, she refilled the cup with cold water from her shower and sipped on that as she sat on the mattress, her back against the wall, staring at the book.

There was no cover, as if the dust jacket of the book couldn't be trusted in her care. This particular copy was well worn, the hardback cover turning gray in some places. It was obviously a well-loved book, something that the owner had read and reread a dozen or more times.

She was too tired too read, yet the book never left her hand. She had it gripped in her fist as she pulled the blankets back and crawled under them, and stayed close as she fell asleep. The book was clutched tightly to her chest when she woke the next day. And it stayed in her hand the entire morning, even as she ate her breakfast and started her morning routine.

Meditating had become her first priority after breakfast. Her mind was full of thoughts, jumbled emotions, twisted memories. She needed to calm her mind, to sort everything into the right spot so she could function and focus. It took some time to put all the confusing swirling in her mind into the right place, but she succeeded, the book still resting on her lap.

She tested her shields, making sure they were up and still as strong as ever after the odd encounter with the cube the day before. She was happy to find that they were fine, and, if anything, her walls had only grown stronger.

A shower was next on her list of things to do. She wasn't dirty, but she felt as if she was after Doctor Barret's hands had touched her, gloves or no. She stood under the water for a long time, working out hardened muscles she hadn't realized she had. But fifty-two years, if Doctor Barret was to be trusted to tell the truth with how long she had been here, had wreaked a lot more havoc than Sigyn had expected.

She had to be impressed with herself. With all the times she had been moved cell to cell, the things she had been subjected to, the malnourishment she suffered, and the loneliness that still ate away at her, she had kept up to date on the time she had spent in this place. An estimate of fifty years was pretty good when the real number was fifty-two.

And then suddenly, she realized how depressing of a thought that was. Her life had come to calculating the accuracy of her estimate of the duration of her captivity. She needed a better pastime, a pastime in which she had received and was currently waiting for her on the bed. Sigyn was suddenly thankful that there was something for her brain to focus on.

After finishing her shower, she brushed her hair, braiding it to keep it out of her face as she sat on the floor and lounged against the mattress, noticing that the sheets had been changed again, probably during the time she had been in that other room. But that didn't matter so much to her. She pulled one of the blankets off her bed, settling it over her lap, before opening the book to the first chapter.

As far as Sigyn could tell, it was a children's chapter book. It wasn't difficult to read, but it was entertaining. She hadn't read anything in the time she had been locked up, and while she retained the ability to read, it had been slow progress at first. But after reading through several chapters it was like she hadn't been deprived of reading material for half a century.

She paced herself, standing and walking around her cell, doing various stretches, focusing on her flexibility. She did a few strength exercises, but flexibility was a more important matter now. She couldn't escape with her full strength when she had first been captured, and she knew technology and ways to keep her contained had only advanced in the time she had been here, so strength was useless. No, if she wanted to get out she would have to use her mind. But she still needed to make sure her body was in good condition.

She made it halfway through the book that day. She clutched it tightly to her chest again when she decided to sleep, holding onto the precious gift someone had given her. She didn't know who it was, but she could only thank them for this small bit of entertainment. The lights dimmed not long after she climbed into her bed, and Sigyn fell into a deep sleep.


	6. The Beginning

_The girl sat with her back against a tree, her horse digging for grass in the snow close to a small, frozen, stream. She was crying, deep sobs coming from her chest as her body moved with each shaking breath. The movement masked her shivering._

 _She had been there for some time, the falling snow had covered her tracks long ago, yet the girl hadn't moved except to feed the horse oats from the saddlebag. The sky was growing gray as the girl cried, but she made no move to leave. She was here for a reason. Her emotions had been building for well over a week now, but she kept them buried, quiet as her family mourned around her. She stayed strong, stoic as she made the arrangements with the funeral home, accepted condolences from those who sent letters and others who had attended the wake, and finally picked a spot where her mother would be buried._

 _She had stood behind her father, holding the hands of her brother and sister as her mother was lowered into the ground. She didn't cry as, shovel by shovel, her mother was buried under the red-brown soil. No tears escaped her as the family climbed into the carriage and rode silently home, or when her father locked himself in her parent's room._

 _That night her sister had crawled into her older sister's bed instead of her own, and their brother eventually took the younger sisters bed, not wanting to be alone. The two younger siblings fell asleep eventually, but not the eldest. She laid awake until the sky had started to lighten and the birds started singing._

 _She had slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb her siblings, dressed warmly, and then took the horse, riding until she found a spot well out of town, next to the stream she was now sitting beside._

 _There was a stillness in the air as snow fell, the flakes turning into clumps as it covered everything. Birds were silent, there were no squirrels jumping branch to branch, nothing at all to indicate that during the summer this large cluster of trees was teeming with life._

 _Suddenly, the girl screamed, and with her scream, a blast of power radiated from her. The snow close to her was pushed back, bare branches on the trees rustled, and the horse stumbled closer to the stream, as if pushed. And then the girl stopped screaming, and everything was still. Nothing moved, not the horse, nor the snow that had stopped mid-air at the girl's exclamation. Only the girl, her body heaving with sobs, moved. There was no other noise but the cracks of the girl's heart as it broke into pieces._

 _It took some time, but the girl's crying dwindled, and finally she got up, climbed onto the horse, and rode back towards home. She only hoped she could be fast enough to get to the city before the sun was completely gone._

* * *

There were tears on Sigyn's face when she woke, her eyes puffed and her lids and cheeks stiff. The book, no longer clutched to her chest, was on the floor. Sigyn reached to pick it up wiping her tears from her face as she did. Her dream had been another memory, another large fragment falling into place among small pieces. It had been buried deep, almost as deep as the memory of Doctor Barret's first day torturing her.

These memories of her family, family she knew had to have existed but hadn't remembered in some time, were pulling at her thoughts. There was something important her mind was trying to tell her, though she didn't know what. Remembering her past was important for some reason, though she wasn't sure of how that was going to help her out of this cell.

She got out of bed, laid the book on the blankets, and sat in the middle of her cell, legs crossed. Her shields were up, her mind having gone unaffected for another night. Not that there would be anyone to affect her mind in this place.

But she could feel a large group of people around her cell, more specifically in the room next door with that chair and the cube. There were four of them, six more in the hallway, two walking away, two walking toward, and the other one standing across from her door. It must have something to do with the blue cube and how it had affected her the day before. But Sigyn, knowing that she shouldn't worry about it until it happened, got up, opened the door to her compartment, and pulled out her breakfast.

There was bacon, a biscuit, and two pancakes. Sigyn had never been more happy to see little flat food. She savored every bite she put in her mouth, chewing until it was mush.

Brushing her hair didn't take so long after she unbraided it, though she did pull it back into a braid after it was brushed, not wanting to bother with keeping it under control. She stretched, testing her flexibility, before picking the book back up and reading.

She had read almost a hundred pages when a loud noise from the room next door made her jump. She couldn't help but stand and walk to the door that looked out into the hallway, the book hanging from her fingertips. The window was high in the door, but Sigyn, standing as tall as she could on her toes was able to see out.

More people had come while she was reading, and she could see at least five in the hallway directly outside her cell. Others were going in and out of the other room, many walking back and forth down the hallway carrying various objects. She cast out with her mind, trying to find out exactly how many people were there, and was surprised to feel at least twenty working in and around that room. She could feel the collective ache of bones as the workday came to an end, but several people were full of pride and felt accomplished. One of those minds was Doctor Barrett.

Her mind shied away from his instantly, and she built up her shields again trying to block out that terrible man. When she was done, and she returned to looking back out her window she was surprised to see a face staring right back at her.

She jumped back, scared and surprised at the sudden appearance of a woman staring into her eyes. She tripped over her own feet, falling back and the book flinging across the room. She landed hard, but her eyes followed the book as it hit the floor, some of the pages folded and bent. Sigyn scrambled towards it, as if getting to it faster would lessen the damage done to the pages, and picked the book up. She leafed through the book, turning the pages until she found the last one she had read, unfolding those damaged when it fell.

She looked up, feeling eyes on her as she stood. It was the woman who's face had been so close to hers, the woman who had scared her. She was the woman she had seen when she had been first brought to this cell, the one standing with the two other men. From her memory, fuzzy and confusing because of the malnourishment she had been recovering from, this woman had seemed the most kind. She had been the one who wanted to help her, who wanted to do something to make her painless.

Unconsciously Sigyn pulled the book up to her chest, holding it tight as the woman looked at her, then around the cell she was in, then the book she held so close. The woman's face softened, and even though she probably shouldn't have, Sigyn lowered her shields just enough to feel the woman's emotions.

The woman was sad, sad for Sigyn's condition, but there was a bit of happiness at the improvement she had made. There was hope there, that Sigyn would survive, that she wasn't as damaged beyond repair as the woman had first thought when looking at her. But mostly, overwhelmingly, was the happiness that the woman felt as she watched Sigyn hug the book close to her chest.

The woman smiled and there was hope in it. And though Sigyn knew this was one of the people that was keeping her here, she couldn't help but give a very small smile back.

But there was another loud sound, one that banged directly against the wall that bordered her cell to the other room. Sigyn jumped, stumbling back towards her bed, the shield around her mind slamming up. The sound came once again, and Sigyn, having nowhere to go, climbed under her blankets and tried to block out the sounds as she read.

The sounds stopped eventually, and when they did she could feel all the people that had been around her cell leave. When they had been gone for some time she stood, going over to the compartment and took the tray of food resting inside. She ate quickly, forcing herself to eat the last few bites only because she wasn't sure if there would be a breakfast tomorrow.

She laid the book next to her pillow as she curled up under the blankets once more. The lights hadn't even dimmed by the time she fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, another surprise was in the compartment. A book, and it was by the same author as the first. Sigyn discovered that this new book was the second in a series of books. The one she had, the first, she had almost completed. So after Sigyn ate, meditated and exercise, she finished the first book, gently placing it at the head of her mattress, pushing it against the wall.

But, before she started the next book, she knew she needed to continue the practice she had slacked on for the past few days. She found that forming seeds of emotions, as she had done with anger and fear before, had become much easier. True happiness was an emotion that still gave her trouble, along with contentment and calm. Those would take some time, weeks, possibly even months, for her to finally master. She would have to continue to practice but there were also other thinks she could try.

She started by stretching her awareness farther, reaching her mind out as far as she could without damaging herself. The process of stretching was time-consuming and difficult to gage. Without actually being able to mark how far her mind reached, it would be impossible to tell if she was succeeding. Stretching her awareness as far as she could take just as long as mastering those emotions she had been having such trouble with. Sigyn only hoped there would be someone near enough to her cell so that she would be able to gauge if she had made progress.

She started the second book, stretching her mind each time she finished a chapter, until a _hiss_ of air interrupted the quiet of the cell.

Sigyn looked up, finding the door that lead to the next room open, though from what she could see the room looked completely different. Curiously, she stood from her spot, set the book on the mattress, and stepped through the doorway.

The room was much different than it had been. The chair had been replaced by one that looked relatively comfortable. It was a simple armchair, plush and black, but warm and inviting. There were also two black panels on the wall opposite of the door that led to her cell. Sigyn also noticed the cameras, the two in the same corner she had spotted them before, but also two others in the remaining corners as well. Instead of the sterile white walls, they had been painted a darker cream color. Subtle yet much more comfortable. The lighting was different as well, softer than it had been only hours before. The changes that had been done to the room made it much more enjoyable to be in.

Sigyn took a step towards the chair, and wasn't at all surprised by the sound of the door closing behind her. She _was,_ however, surprised when Doctor Barrett's face suddenly popped up on one of the black screens.

"Hello, Sigyn." The doctor's mouth moved and the sound of his voice was projected through the room. Sigyn, already afraid of the doctor, and startled by his sudden appearance, ran to the corner farthest from his face and dropped to the ground.

"Now, now," his voice said, echoing in her ears as she closed her eyes to block out the sight of his face. "There is no need to feel afraid. Don't you like how we redecorated the room? It should be much more comfortable."

She didn't answer.

"Ah, I see you are going to be difficult. If it were up to me I would find ways to pursue you, but it isn't my decision." The man sighed, and still, she didn't move. Doctor Barrett continued speaking. "I will give you a series of instructions that you are required to follow. Until you complete those instructions you will not be able to return to your room. Do you understand?" He only paused for a moment before continuing.

"Now, I'm sure you remember what happened two days ago with that cube. Everyone was very impressed with the way you reacted to the cube and those in charge want to see what else will happen when you are exposed to it. When the door opens, just as it did today, you will come in here and sit in the chair. The cube will be brought to you, just as before, and you will do whatever it was you did two days ago to make that cube react. Do you have any questions? No? I look forward to seeing what you do next."

Just as suddenly as his face had appeared, it was gone.

It took some time before Sigyn was able to stand, let alone walk to the comfortable looking chair. She didn't want to follow Doctor Barrett's instructions, but she didn't see much of an alternative. When she finally was able to make it to the chair and sit, she curled up, hoping that Doctor Barrett wouldn't bother her again.

But the lights slowly dimmed until they were a pleasant and soothing glow. The small door, where the cube had been last time, opened. The cube was still there, but Sigyn didn't wait for it to come to her. Instead, she stood and walked to the little door. She reached out, touching the cube with her fingertips.

Nothing happened, but Sigyn would have been surprised if something had. The connection she had with the cube was mental. Physical contact would only strengthen the connection, not cause one. Sigyn, following her instinct, picked up the cube, went back to the chair and sat down. She rested the cube in her lap, shifting until she was comfortable, before stretching her mind out towards the blue fire within the cube.

The object, the thing, the presence, whatever it was, welcomed Sigyn's mind. The emotions didn't overwhelm her mind as before, but they were much more of the emotions she was used to. There was still a different feeling to them, but Sigyn could understand what the cube wanted her to know.

It was telling her to trust it, that if she was able to get through everything it wanted to show her, that if she survived, she would be out of this place, she would be free, and she would have the power to take revenge on those who had dared to keep her locked up if she wished it.

Even if Sigyn hadn't chosen to trust the cube, she would have been forced to bow to it. The cube needed her to leave this place as well. It knew that in the hands of these people it would be abused, and nothing good could come of it.

So the two became partners, each needing each other to succeed in their own goals, but they were working for the same thing. The cube knew it was going to be a hard road, that there would still be many decisions that Sigyn would have to make to keep everything on track, but decisions were never easy for those who had the power to change the world.

Unexpectedly, Sigyn felt a rush of power from the cube. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the power that was racing through her mind, and feeling dizzy from the sudden blast. She only opened her eyes when everything had stopped.

She was in a different place, not in the same room with the cube, but in a cell, one completely different than her own. This one had bars on one side, and the other three walls were rock. There wasn't much there, a pile of blankets in a corner, the remains of a meal in a bowl. A bucket sat against one of the stone walls.

In the distance was a sound of a large door opening and the sound of feet walking quickly towards her. Only a few moments later three people appeared at the bars of the cell, two armored, and a third staggering between them. The armored ones weren't really people, or at least Sigyn determined there was no way they were human. They were large beings, gray with muscle and just completely different from anyone, or anything, she had ever seen before. Sigyn moved to a back corner of the cell, the corner without the pile of blankets, not wanting to be seen by those fierce-looking things.

One of the guards pulled open a door in the bars and shoved the normal-looking man in. He stumbled, almost falling, but caught himself and stood straight. He turned back to the guards who were locking the door.

"It was a pleasure as always, gentlemen," he said in a smooth and cool voice. "I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow."

The two armored guards just grumbled before moving away.

Sigyn studied the back of the man as he continued to look towards the bars of the cell. He was tall, at least a head and a half taller than her small stature. His hair was black, reaching his shoulders in tangled strands, and he was slim, yet there was a hint of strength there as well.

If this man was locked in this cell and couldn't find a way out then she knew her own cell would be impossible to escape. The security and the doors in her place of residence left no way out. At least this cell had bars that could be broken through. It would take time but it was possible.

"I wasn't told that I would be sharing my cell with another person."

Sigyn jumped at the sound of his voice, and her eyes turned from the bars back to the man. His eyes were a light blue, piercing as they watched her.

"Did you not hear my question?" He sounded annoyed and Sigyn reached out with her mind on instinct.

But there was nothing. She couldn't feel anything from him, and she couldn't tell if anyone else was around her either. Where ever she was, it seemed that her abilities were suppressed. She had never encountered a place, natural or manmade, that had ever caused her abilities to be rendered useless.

"I'm still waiting," the man said, taking several steps towards her. On instinct and fear, Sigyn took two steps back, pressing herself against the rock wall.

"So they put me in with a simpering, cowering, useless girl. At least there won't be any fighting over who sleeps on the pile of dirty rags." His voice, still smooth, was cold and mean. There was a venom underneath, a pain that Sigyn had grown to know well in the time she had lived. It was a voice full of self-hatred.

He turned away from her, stalking to the pile of blankets he had mentioned just moments before, and sat down on top of them, facing the bars. She sat as well, seeing no reason to remain standing if he wasn't going to attack her.

They sat there a long time, the man watching the world outside the bars as Sigyn watched him, worried that he would do something to hurt her. The light in the room slowly grew dim, and finally, the man looked at her. He watched her for several moments before he opened his mouth. But Sigyn didn't hear anything as blood rushed to her ears and she felt a trickle of something wet run down her lip. She put her hand up to her nose, pulling it away to see red on her fingertips. Her eyes turned back towards the man, seeing his surprise and the reflection of a blue light in his eyes.

And then she was back in the room with the cube.


	7. Nightmare of the Past

Sigyn blinked in confusion. She was sitting in the same chair, in the same position she was in before she had been transported to that other cell. The blue cube was on her lap just as before, it's light still bright, but less intense. There were several moments where she sat there, thinking over what had transpired, before reaching out to the cube once again. It was dormant, the energy that usually radiated off of it gone. It acknowledged her presence with a flicker of pleasure and smug accomplishment. It had known that she would be able to accept the things it wanted to show her.

She pulled her mind away from the cube, building her walls quickly as she felt a presence enter the range of her mind. They came closer to her, then turned down a different hallway before she couldn't feel their presence anymore.

She stood up gently, her legs rushing with blood and pins and needles, and walked over to the small door, placing the cube gently inside. As soon as that door closed, the larger door to her cell opened, and she quickly stepped inside, hoping that a meal would be waiting for her. She checked the compartment, finding it empty, and flopped down onto her mattress.

She had spent some time with the cube she knew, but there was no real way to tell how long it was. Was it even close to time for her dinner? Did they skip out on feeding her since she was otherwise occupied?

She knew what hunger felt like, had starved for years on scraps and leftovers and sludge. This was different. Her body was tired, exhausted, achy. This was not hunger that ensured survival. No, this was hunger derived from the use of energy, of so much energy that the body needed to replace it quickly if it wished to survive.

Sigyn had only felt this way a few times in her life, and mostly when she was young. When she had first started practicing with her abilities she had been ravenous. She had eaten more than her growing brother and sister combined. But, when she finally realized that she felt that way because she was pushing herself to close too her limit, she stopped, focusing on smaller things instead of the big picture.

The cube must have used a lot of energy, some of her own included, to show her the man in the cell. He may be important, or he may just simply have been a way for the cube to communicate with her. It could have just been a coincidence. There was no way for Sigyn to be able to tell for sure without allowing the cube to show her visions again. But at that moment, all she could think about was about the two guards that had suddenly appeared at the edge of her range and were coming towards her.

She stood from her bed, and took up a spot next to the door, peering through the small window. She felt and saw them as they rounded a corner, approached her door with a tray of food in one of their hands, before taking a look through the window. The taller man jumped back in surprise at seeing her standing there, his mouth moving as he talked to the other man.

The second man, the same one who had been carrying the tray, went mostly out of her view as he placed the tray in her compartment. She rushed to it, tapping her fingers against the door as she waited for the 'beep' that indicated her meal was served.

As soon as she heard that little noise, she yanked open the door, reaching for the tray inside. Grabbing it, she settled on her bed, taking a few moments to track the movements of the two guards as they walked away, stretching her mind as far as she could follow them.

When they were out of her range, she started eating her food, taking her time to taste it, but also eating quickly. Her meal of turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, and corn brought memories to the surface of her mind. They were brief glimpses of her family as they ate and laughed and joked, all gathered around the table with a full turkey at the center. There were a dozen people seated at that table, faces that she knew but could not add names or relationships too. But they were family. And that day was very special.

Sigyn sighed, her food finished, and put the tray back in the compartment. She was drained after the energy the cube had borrowed from her, and nothing felt better than laying down on her mattress despite the dreams that invaded her mind.

* * *

 _The cold had seeped into the house, consuming almost everything. Only two fires were keeping the house warm, and those who lived there huddled in front of them. The pile of firewood just outside the back door had dwindled to almost nothing, but there were still large logs waiting to be split just a few steps away._

 _The girl was outside, lifting the ax above her head, aiming at a log before bringing the ax down. A small crack appeared down the middle of the log, but it was still a ways from being split. The girl raised and lowered the ax over and over until two pieces finally split apart and the girl stepped away breathing heavily._

 _Hours went by and the girls muscles screamed with each strike of the ax. But her family needed to be warm. Her father had locked himself in his room, only accepting firewood when she left it at his door with water and food. He was the one that usually took care of the firewood, chopping it, making sure there was enough to get them through the next few days. But he was mourning, and she was the oldest. Some things needed to be taken care of, things she needed to step up and do. She tended to her mothers duties as well, directing and helping the maid clean and maintain the house. She sent her siblings to school, all the while trying to continue her education by reading the books in the library._

 _But weeks past, and still her father never left his room. The finances were becoming a problem. Her father hadn't been to work in over a month, and he wasn't paying the bills like he should. The girl tried, but she didn't know what she was doing._

 _Letters started coming, requesting payments for various items inside the house, then warnings when the girl couldn't figure out how to access her parents bank accounts without her father's presence._

 _Her siblings were more well behaved than they had ever been in their life, and often they would try to help her figure out how to keep the house going. But they were so young the girl couldn't let their childhood be dragged down if there was something she could do to prevent it._

 _The president of the bank arrived at her house two months after the death of their mother. The girl had answered, not knowing who was at the door, or what they wanted. The man only asked to speak to her father, though she told him her father wasn't seeing visitors at that time._

 _The girl tried for over half of an hour to get her father out of his room. She knocked, begged, and cried for him to come out. She tried to tell him that she couldn't do everything on her own, that his being locked in that room was ruining the family. There wasn't an answer._

 _She went to the man from the bank, apologizing as he fetched his hat from the closet by the door. She explained that it was a hard time for her family, that her father had taken her mother's loss harder than any of them had._

" _I'm sorry," He said to her, opening the door. "But it's come to the point in which I have to report it to my superiors. You should look into removing yourself and your siblings from this house if things continue."_

 _And then he was gone, leaving the girl as alone and filled with so much more dread then before. She went back to her father's door, knocking, then pounding on the door with her fist. She yelled as she finally broke down, a wave of power forcing its way out from under her skin. She sobbed, leaning against her fathers door, stumbling in surprise as the door opened._

 _Her father was sitting in an armchair, his head resting against the wings, a pistol in his hand. The girl stood there watching as her father passed the pistol from hand to hand, the gold decoration glinting in the light from the window outside._

" _Your mother was my life."_

 _The girl started at the sound of his voice, having heard it so rarely in the past couple of months. His voice was scratchy, matching his unkempt appearance. He was thin, pale, his hair longer than she had ever seen it and tangled so badly it would just have to be cut off. His expression was indifferent as he watched the pistol pass back and forth, but the girl could feel the emotions radiating off of him._

 _The grief was almost completely overwhelming. The girl was already on a precipice, and the intense waves of emotions from her father made her teeter, almost falling over the edge. The grief was terrible, but the complete hopelessness sent her crashing down to the floor._

 _Her knees hit the hardwood with a_ crack _that she both felt and heard, and sobs escaped her chest as her father finally looked away from the pistol and at his daughter._

" _She and I were so happy, but we couldn't manage to produce any children. And then, suddenly, you were there. A woman came to our door in the middle of the night, sobbing and crying and about to have a baby. She told us she was sick, that she wasn't going to make it through the delivery. But your mother promised the woman that she would take care of her child as if it was her own."_

 _Her father took a deep breath, looking over at the small table next to his chair where a photograph of her mother sat in a frame._

" _After you were born the woman told us you were going to be different, that there were things about you that wouldn't make sense. We didn't understand then what she was telling us, but we didn't get a chance to ask more. She took her last breath only moments later._

" _We loved you, but your mother just absolutely adored you. You were always with her. You were only two years old when a strange power came from you. We didn't understand what had happened, but only a few months later your mother was pregnant with your brother. You allowed her to have children, though we don't what you could have done to make that possible._

" _You gave us everything." He looked back at the girl, still on her knees, tears running down her face. "But you couldn't save her. You healed her enough to let her have children, but yet you couldn't cure her of the disease that killed her."_

 _Suddenly, the hopelessness and grief the girl felt from her father turned into complete hatred._

 _The pistol was pointed at her now, the pretty gold pieces still shining as her father looked down the barrel at her._

" _I blame you. You didn't save her. You're the reason she got that disease in the first place. You're the reason she died. I'm going to make that right."_

 _There was a sound, so loud that the girl tried to cover her ears, but then she saw the blood. It was dripping from her shoulder, covering her chest then stomach and arm. She looked up, the pain not yet registering, her shock and adrenaline keeping her body alert. Her father was in the middle of reloading the pistol, tears glistening down his face._

" _I'm sorry I couldn't hit you in the chest. I was aiming to kill you quickly. But I only have one more bullet. I'm afraid you're going to bleed out."_

 _Then he turned the pistol under his chin and the girl watched as he pulled the trigger._

* * *

Sigyn's scream echoed through her cell, bouncing back at her as she sat up and started panting. Tears were running down her face, fear dominating expression. Her eyes flicked around her room, searching for something that wasn't there. Everything was as silent as it had ever been in that cell. Nothing out of place, everything exactly as it should be.

But still, her nerves wouldn't settle. She stood, pacing the length of the room, her hands grasping at each other again and again. She realized sometime later that her walls were completely down and was surprised to find a couple of people within her range. They were rather close to her actually, just outside the door.

She looked at the little window, seeing nothing, but she could still feel them there. Her mind was a confusing mess, and she wasn't able to distinguish what emotions were hers, and what ones were theirs. That only made her pace faster, her bare feet pounding almost painfully against the floor.

That dream, she knew it was a memory, had opened doors in her mind that had been locked for decades. Over the last few weeks, small pieces and memories had come back, scattered throughout the entire scope of her life, nothing making complete sense.

She knew she had to have had parents, and she had gained a feeling that she had siblings before the memory of the family dinner had appeared in her dreams. She didn't know their faces or names then, but she had known they existed.

But the two largest memories that had come to her had been the worst she had experienced so far. She had never completely lost her memories of her torture, of the time she had spent at the team of doctors mercy, but experiencing her mother's life slipping away, at her father pointing the gun at her and then at himself… Nothing could be worse than that. All the worst parts had been locked away to keep her protected, to help her cope. And now that she was being fed, her subconscious felt safer and unlocked the memories.

The people outside her door remained there as she continued to pace. She didn't know why they were there, she didn't care, but she needed to build her walls up, there were too many emotions wreaking havoc in her head. She needed to be completely in her own mind to calm down and sort out her memories enough to cope with what she had just experienced.

The wall she put in place was shaky, not at all stable, but it was enough to block out all the extra emotions. Finally, she was able to get her own emotions stable before should could deal with their's. She sat down, her legs crossed, her back against the mattress, and her hands on her thighs. She took dozens of deep breaths, trying to calm herself as her walls buckled and her emotions fluxed.

It took some time for her to sort out her thoughts, to calm her emotions, to build her walls up stronger. But, when she finally opened her eyes again, she was calm. Calm was not something she was familiar with, but she liked it. There was still some underlying fear about the future and what would happen to her, but there was also something that told her she needed to be here. This place, at this time, exactly where she was sitting, was the right place.

There was a beep, the one that signaled food had been placed in her compartment, and she stood slowly, opening the compartment to find breakfast. She ate rather quickly, needing to focus on something that wasn't herself. Food, the taste of it, was enough for her mind to dwell on.

As soon as she was done, and had placed the tray back in the compartment, the door to the other room opened. She turned to look at it, approaching cautiously, checking to make sure that there was nothing to hurt her there.

She sat in her chair once she determined it was safe to be in the room, and waited for the door to open. She could already feel the cube, energy still depleted, but gaining power from the air around it by the second. There would be no visions, no transfer of energy this day, but Sigyn could tell the cube still had things it wanted to teach her. So when the door opened, she stared at the cube, lowering her walls until her mind was able to reach out and brush against that odd consciousness within the clear glass. It immediately soothed her mind, giving her reassurance that, despite the terrible dreams that had awakened her, there was a plan, one that would take some time.

They were both as valuable as the other. The cube had power, power that had been used for evil in her lifetime, though she couldn't remember it ever showing up in the news, and she had power too. They were different types of power. The cube's power was raw, infinite when used correctly, something that was hard to control and dangerous. Sigyn's power was softer, and it had limits, but it also had advantages. There was a way for her to tell things about a person, their past, their feelings, even their most intimate thoughts if interpreted correctly. She had a way with people, or she used to before she had been thrown in the prison, and the cube told her it would become important in the years to come. They just needed to make it through the next few months. It wouldn't be easy, and once the cube and Sigyn were released from their prison, it would only become harder.

But the cube told her, in its odd way of emotional communication, that they would take each step one problem at a time. It would take energy, time, and a lot of intelligence, but when everything came together, there wouldn't be many people in the world that could stop them.

She sat in that chair for hours, and she knew the people watching her were waiting for something to happen. But it didn't and it wouldn't today. Or tomorrow. Sigyn knew that the two of them had to recover, that the first connection they shared would be the hardest on them both. But the link was there now, the bond would be easier each time, growing stronger with each connection they shared. Moments like this, her mind brushing against whatever being was inside, would help as well. Sigyn knew that eventually, she wouldn't even need to be in the same room to feel the cube. And after that, she wouldn't even need to be in the same building to know where it was.

The power in the cube scared her, not because of how easily it could destroy the world, but because of how easily it could help build it. Evil would always exist, and there would always be people to fight it, just as the soldier who had given his life to protect the world from this very cube.

There was no vision, yet she had the memory of the man. She had never seen him with her own eyes, but she could see him as clearly as she saw the cube in front of her. A soldier, obvious from the way he stood and dressed in a patriotic suit in the American colors, stood before her. He had a shield, a star in the center, surrounded by blue and red and white.

He was different, she could tell that. He was stronger than a normal person, much more durable, not unlike she was. Exactly like she was. He was the same as her, whatever they were. He didn't seem to age, didn't seem to be wounded, only bone-weary after fighting battle after battle and saving lives. Was she like him?

She blinked out of the memory that wasn't hers, but that had been implanted in her head with no effort from the cube or herself. Her connection with the cube must have been much stronger than she realized. There was an almost seamless transition between Sigyn's mind and the cube.

And that led her to believe that the place the cube had taken her the day before, with the man in the cell, definitely wasn't a memory from herself or the cube, and it wasn't a dream. She had thought that there was a possibility that she had made the man up, or that the cube had shown her a memory. Somehow the cube had taken her to a completely different place, a place her powers hadn't existed, a place where she could be seen, and also a place she was still locked in a cell.

 _But, each step is necessary,_ she thought as the cube slowly withdrew from their connection. Each little plan, each thing that seemed pointless _would_ come together. And when they did, she would make those who hurt her, who dissected her while she was still alive, _still awake,_ understand what they put her through. Those who had kept her in a cell, a cage that had no bars, only walls, would know what it was like to spend fifty years alone.

She wouldn't let them get away with what they had done to her.


	8. Planning for the Future

For billions of years, the cube, or the stone encased within the cube, had watched the universe evolve. Compared to its other five comrades, the cube had the second-best point of reference to watch as one universe was destroyed and another made. It took hundreds of millions of years for the first real spark of life to catch the attention of the blue stone.

The stone's green brother knew what was going to happen and shared it with the other five of its siblings. But the blue stone had taken interest at certain parts of what would be the future of the nine realms, as the first people called it when the connection was discovered. Each of the six comrades, objects forged before the current universe's creation, agreed that there would be a conflict for the rest of time. But there was one point when heroes from every world would fail to win a war against an enemy that genuinely thought he was helping the universe.

Something needed to be done to stop the conflict. After that war, the spark of life that kept everything moving substantially dimmed, and eventually faded away. The stones saw the problem, saw what went wrong and decided to do something to keep it from happening.

So each of the six stones placed themselves in a spot where they would do the most good when the time was right. Most of them would cause pain, suffering, and death in the hands of the people they would eventually fall into over the course of finding their way to the place they wanted to be. But the loss would allow the right hands to eventually grasp each stone. And when those right hands finally held the stones that had chosen them, the war would change.

The blue stone had watched for a long time, waiting, planning, for the person that would turn the tide in the war that was so far away. So the blue stone consulted with its green comrade, searching through the future to find the person. And eventually, it did.

The blue stone, now encased in an almost unbreakable cube of clear walls, placed itself in the spot where it would eventually fall into her hands, the hands of the person it had chosen. It was used in ways that weren't good for the people of the world. But a hero, one that the stone had seen a long time ago, stopped the man that was using its power for evil. And when that evil man took ahold of the cube the stone punished him, sending him to see and reach for something he knew he could never have. It sent the man to guard one of the stone's brethren until the time of war was reached, until the man who waged war against the universe would give up the one thing he loved for the other stone.

But the hero wasn't the right person, no matter how big of a role he would play in the coming war. The hero would have died if the stone had not interfered. While he was not chosen for any of the six stones, the part he played was so important. The universe couldn't allow him to die. So the cube froze him, surrounding him in ice to keep him alive until both man and stone, disguised as a cube, could be found.

The organization found them both decades later, buried in ice and the wreckage of a plane. The man was awakened slowly, but the stone they took to a building, a scientific place where tests and experiments were performed on the most secret of technology. But the cube didn't mind, only reacting enough to intrigue those who studied it. It waited, waited for those people to finally introduce it to the girl that would save the universe.

And when they finally did, the stone showed her the man she was destined to change. It showed her the man whose mind would be cracked almost to breaking. And then, under the influence of one of the stone's brethren, he would do things, terrible things to the world the girl was now trapped on.

But the girl could change him, could overthrow the power that would be embedded in his mind so deep it would have caused permanent emotional and mental damage. But to do that they would need to understand each other, they would need to form some kind of friendship, a bond. In order to send the girl to the place the man was now imprisoned the stone would need to call upon all its power.

The stone had stored power for millennium, waiting for the time in which the girl could handle and understand what it needed to show her. It had used the glass cube to contain it's power so that no others could access it. The power was buried deep, hidden from those who would have used it for evil, and from those who were too curious for their own good.

The stone buried down, deeper and deeper as it gathered all the power and energy it had stored up. All the while it used small amounts of that energy to teach her, to imbed memories within her own about what it had seen, about what the world was like now. The stone saw how the girl had noticed the change long before she had ever been imprisoned, that the world was moving towards money, selfishness.

People became unimportant. They weren't someone else's family, neighbors became strangers and everyone became obsessed with how much money they had, how much they could make, and how much more they could cheat and steal from others. The girl hadn't been happy to see the direction the world had been taking and it made her sick to realize that, despite her hope, the world had not turned into a place of peace and prosperity, but had festered and become diseased. She almost wished she hadn't lived to see it happen.

But the stone, sensing her despair, showed her hope too. People who worked to make things better, heroes and scientists and warriors working hard to make the world a place people dreamed to live in. There was still hope, still a chance that the world could change.

She could change the world, should she decide to. She could be one of those people if she wanted, if she could find the strength to look past what had been done to her if she could tap into her potential. The stone knew, had seen the way she would hold when the time was right, and saw how she would change the universe. It saw that, when everything went to hell, that when all worlds knew only chaos and pain, she would be able to stand up, to be an instrument in changing the tide of the war. She would become a weapon.

And the stone knew that it had to happen, even if it meant the girl remembering every terrible thing that happened in her past, so she could understand. She needed to make it through this, even if it meant putting herself through the torture of heartbreak, fear, sadness. But it meant, that at the end of it all, she would be left with love, with happiness. And the cube knew she would think it was worth it.

But until then, there was work that needed to be done.

* * *

 _She stared at her father, his head tilted back against the chair, his hand resting on his lap, the pistol now lying on the floor. He didn't move as a stain of deep red spread through the fabric of the chair. He was so still, almost as if he was asleep. But he wasn't. His chest wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing, his heart wasn't beating, there was nothing. But worst of all was the lack of emotion coming from him. The hatred, while horrible, was nothing compared to the sudden absence of any emotion at all._

 _She had known her mother was going to die, had felt it as the sickness seeped into every part of her body. She had felt her mother's mind start to grow smaller as the sickness continued to get worse. There had been some time to prepare for it, though she was never sure how quickly her mother would be consumed. She had felt the life leave her mother, the lack of emotions, thoughts, breath. It was peaceful._

 _Her father was different. There was no easing into death, no gradual downward incline. It was just the sudden silence after that loud bang. There was nothing left of him, only an empty shell and brief echoes of grief and rage and hatred and love._

 _But her death would be neither peaceful like her mother's or quick like her father's. No, hers would be slow, filled with pain and blood and hopelessness and the last emotion her father had felt. That hatred rang in her head, his last words ringing in her ears._ "I was aiming to kill you quickly."

 _She had fallen from her knees only a few seconds after her father had shot himself, landing on her side and shoulder, thankfully on her uninjured side. She had moved onto her back, hoping that it would help with the pain and reduce the bleeding._

 _But still, her blood was spreading. She could feel it, the thick wet sticky fluid leaking from her shoulder onto the ground. It hurt, oh god, it hurt. She screamed with the pain, half hoping that someone would hear, that someone would come to investigate._

 _But her brother and sister were at school, she had sent them off in the morning. Her neighbors would be out, the husbands at work, the wives gossiping at lunches, and the children at school. The maid wasn't here either. The girl had sent her to get groceries and other supplies. And her father. He was there, just useless now. Lifeless._

 _Someone should be around soon. The maid should be back, maybe one of the neighbors was home after all. Someone must have heard the two pistol shots, her screams. But no one came. She lay there, her blood spreading under her._

 _She thought of her family, of her mother who she would probably be seeing soon, her father, who had most likely gone to hell for killing her, then himself. Her siblings would be alone. They wouldn't have any parents, no one to take care of them. They were so young. They would go to an orphanage. There was no other family that could take them in. They would suffer through cold winters, only with the two of them to huddle together for warmth. They wouldn't laugh as they had before, they wouldn't know what had happened. She wouldn't be there to comfort and help them as they coped with the death of their father. As the coped with her death._

 _She would never see her siblings again. She would never see her friends. She would never have the joy of reading another book, of finding love, of having children. She would die with her last thoughts being of her siblings, of how much she wished she could be there for them._

 _She screamed more, calling for help, begging for it. The pain, it was driving her crazy as she sobbed, both with sorrow and hopelessness. She had to have lost a lot of blood. Her head became light, the room spinning, her body becoming numb. And because of that, when the front door opened and a call of "Law enforcement! Is there anyone here?" she almost didn't hear it._

 _She called out, as loudly as she could, unsurprised it wasn't as loud as she wanted. But she kept calling and she heard boots thump through the bottom floor, then up the stairs, around the second floor, and then finally outside the door._

" _Help," the girl said._

 _The footsteps grew closer and she called out again._

 _She saw a man in a uniform enter the room as her vision became a tunnel. When he yelled, it sounded from so far away._

" _I found them! Someone get that ambulance here!"_

 _And then her vision was black, the pain was gone, and she couldn't hear a thing. She thought of how much she loved her brother and sister and hoped they had a good life._

* * *

The days became repetitive and always followed the same pattern. She would wake up when the compartment beeped. She would get out of bed, pulling the blankets back up to her pillow, and eat her food. She would meditate for some time afterwards, clearing her mind before stretching her boundaries. She still couldn't tell if she was making any progress at reaching farther, but she kept trying. She would read until the compartment beeped again, lunch having been served. Sometimes she received a book with her sheets, sometimes she received another item that now seemed like a luxury. She was starting to gain quite the collection. But still she wore the white shirt and pants.

After lunch, she would shower with the shampoo and conditioner she had been gifted, and braid her hair after it had time to dry. At some point, the door that leads to the other room would open, though she couldn't tell how long it was before her dinner. When it did open, she would sit in her chair and reach out to the cube with her mind, building that connection piece by piece. After almost two weeks of the repeat, the bond between Sigyn and the cube was very strong, stronger than anything she had experienced before.

Because of that reason, Sigyn could tell that there was a plan, a very large and complicated plan that included her in a way she couldn't understand. It scared her, but it also gave her a small seed of hope, an emotion she hadn't felt in a very long time. There was hope that she would leave this place, that she would never have to return.

But that didn't stop the dreams that continued to plague her. Usually, they were only brief glimpses of scattered memories. Three weeks after the dream where she witnessed her father shooting her, then himself, her brain showed her the aftermath. She had woken screaming, tears running down her cheeks, thoughts of the siblings that she just couldn't quite remember. It had taken some time for her body and mind to calm, just as before.

But she pushed through it, knowing that these memories had to come back. The cube had made it clear that her memories, and the memories it had given her from its own past were important somehow. She didn't understand why, but if the cube said it was important, who was she to disagree?

She had been meditating more these past few days. The cube was pulling energy for something, something involving her. If she needed to keep up with the cube, and whatever it was it wanted to show her, she needed for her mind to be in the best condition that it possibly could be.

She wasn't sure what to expect, but she could only guess that she would be going somewhere, just as she had that first time. That single time had taken a large amount of energy from her, had strained her mind more than she realized it would. She could feel the ache of her mind well over a week later. Sigyn thought she knew why, and practiced harder and harder to stretch her mind to farther points.

Expanding her mind, even in this simple way, would help when the cube took over her thoughts, overriding all of her senses to show her the different place, to let her experience it. She didn't know if it would actually help, but there was nothing to stop her, and she should practice anyway.

And the days continued. Sigyn was gaining strength. Her meals had become larger, she had gained a little of the weight she really needed, and she was feeling healthier and stronger each day she exercised both her mind and body. The cube even encouraged her to do so.

Sigyn, from hours spent with the cube, finally started to understand the basic emotions the cube had. There was a sense of urgency, of a timeline that needed to be followed now that events had finally started to gain momentum.

She got the sense that there were several key people connected to the events that she was going to play such a big part in. While there were many others, Sigyn had the feeling that she was special, not more special than any of the others that would be involved in this terrible future, but special in a way none of the others were.

There were so many variables, so many things that could go wrong. Sigyn didn't need the cube to tell her as much. It was a risk for them to continue to plan the way they did. There was a risk that those who had her here would find out that Sigyn and the cube were planning her escape. Hopefully, they thought it impossible, but there was always a chance.

Another week passed, almost a month since the cube had shown her that other cell with the man inside, and she was ready. She was surprised that she woke up to pain in her abdomen. She was confused at first, unsure as to why she would have pain. But it wasn't a pain that meant injury. No, this was a woman's pain.

She stood, feeling uncomfortable as her abdomen twisted and squeezed. It had been decades since this particular uncomfortable feeling had graced her with its presence. If past experiences were still true now, she would have several hours to prepare.

Her morning and afternoon routine took longer than usual. She was much more tired than she usually was and her body ached. This was one thing that she hadn't missed during her years of imprisonment. But she went through the motions, knowing that her routine was important for a number of reasons.

When she went into the other room that day the cube was quiet. The cube could sense she wasn't feeling her best and Sigyn was thankful for a day where nothing was expected of her. She just reached her mind out, gently touching the consciousness, content to feel that bond between them.

And that was the moment Sigyn realized that, for the first time in fifty years, she had a friend. The friend wasn't a person, it wasn't an actual physical being she could see other than the blue light within the glass cube. But it cared about her. It cared beyond using her as a means to an end. She wasn't a pawn in a game. Yes, she knew she had a part to play, and the cube would ensure that she would be prepared for it, but it cared for her otherwise. It wanted to be sure she was mentally stable, that she felt well enough to make connections, to talk, to plan.

For the first time since her family had died, she felt as if someone, or something, actually wanted to be around her for a reason other than her emotional influence, physical pleasure, or for experimentation. And she felt lucky.

Later that day, when she returned to her cell, she started to prepare for the oncoming days. She took some of her old sheets, ripped them as best she could, trying to make a lining for when the bleeding started. It took time, but she had plenty of it and nothing else to do.

She ate dinner like she always did, before falling asleep.

Lunch the next day offered a surprise. In with her food was a box containing products, feminine products specifically, to help her through the next few days. She had never been more thankful to the person who was looking after her. That would be the one person, the only person, she would spare in the place that had kept her for so long.

Another week passed in an almost replica of the week before. But the cube was radiating growing excitement. It was almost time for the plan to start. Each day Sigyn walked through that door expecting it to be _the_ day. It wasn't. At least not until almost fifty days after she had first visited that tall dark-haired man.

But the day she walked through and she could already feel the pulse of the cube's energy she knew. It was time. She still didn't know what was going to happen, but she trusted the cube. It would be hard and this had to be done. Sigyn was up for the challenge.

She sat in her chair as the cube was extended from the small compartment it seem-+-ed to be kept in. She waited, letting the cube make the first move. It reached out towards her mind and she welcomed it with open arms. They eased their way through each other's consciousness, preparing for the connection that would enable Sigyn to see a different place.

Only a few moments after the beginning of their connection the cube released its power and energy, and Sigyn found herself hurtling through space, the rush of blood in her head, and a beautiful overwhelming view of the universe.


	9. Don't go

It was so dark. Sigyn was standing on a hard floor, shaking as the cold pierced through her with an amazing efficiency. But the cold didn't mask the smell, and that's how she knew where she was.

It was a terrible smell, one that she had become accustomed to not long after she had been experimented on and thrown inside a cell with hardly a second thought. It was the smell of several things combined. The first was human waste, festering and sitting for days without being removed. The other was the smell of a live body, unwashed for weeks.

Sigyn had spent months alone before anyone even thought of emptying the bucket they had so graciously given her to relieve herself. It didn't matter much to them that the bucket had been overflowed each time they came to retrieve it. But that had been years ago, at the beginning of her imprisonment. But, just because she had spent years smelling terrible and surrounded by other horrible rotting odors didn't make it any less putrid.

She listened, searching for sounds of a person in the cell if her assumptions were correct. It was almost complete silence. But she waited, knowing that there was going to have to be a sound to indicate something. She wasn't surprised at the scratch of nails that sounded outside the cell. She was familiar with the sound of rats and their behaviors.

She dismissed the sound and took several more moments to listen. There. It was almost silent, but there was someone in the cell with her, taking deep and even breaths. They didn't move as she waited, and she stayed still for fear of being attacked. She kept her breaths as even as she could, though her heart raced in her ears.

She didn't know the person who's cell she had invaded, and even if it was the man she met before she didn't know if he was friendly. There were so many things that could go wrong.

There was only the sound of the breather, her racing heart, and the rats outside the cell for such a long time that Sigyn started to relax by instinct. Her adrenaline had run its course and now she was left shivering in the frigid air. She could feel and hear her breath become more ragged as her body started to react to the cold to preserve heat.

"I can hear you breathing."

The sudden voice breaking the silence caused Sigyn's heart to jump and more adrenalin to pump through her bloodstream. She stumbled back automatically, her back hitting bars. She followed the bars to a wall, then the wall into a corner with two solid sides. It was closer to where she had heard the voice, but she felt more comfortable with two solid sides protecting her. She hunkered down, making her self as small as she could, both to conserve heat and to become a smaller target.

She recognized his voice as the same one from the cell she had been in before. It was distinctive, accented, and there was a snark behind every word the man said. The cube had brought her here, to the same cell that contained the same man as the last time.

Sigyn had no idea why this man, or this place, was so important, but there had to be a reason after two trips and over a month's preparation to get her here. But that didn't mean she didn't mentally curse the cube for sending her, leaving her in the dark with a man she couldn't trust.

But as she sat there, waiting for something to happen, for the man to speak, the darkness closed in on her, adding to her already unstable mental status. She hadn't been anything close to this cold in several years, her cells thankfully heated enough for her to survive. Sigyn couldn't remember ever being in such low temperatures as she was now. She had experienced many winters, somewhere she fended for herself on the streets with hardly anything more than a shirt and skirt.

Her shivering continued as the time passed, and eventually faint light started to shine through the bars of the cave. It wasn't the gray of dawn that she remembered from her past, but instead an almost blue light that drifted closer and closer.

There was a bang of a door, a shuffling of feet from far away, and Sigyn could hear the footsteps approach the cell. The burning torch was the first thing she saw as they came into view. She had to concentrate not to suck in a breath as she saw what was carrying it.

It was the same beast she had seen the last time she had been here. It laughed as it looked into the cell at the dark-haired man she could now see in the firelight. The thing tossed something that looked like a lump of food at the man saying "breakfast" in its terrible voice.

It laughed again as it lit another torch burning just outside the cell and then lumbered out of view once again.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sigyn watched as the dark-haired man retrieved the lump of food and went back to his pile of torn blankets. He politely ate the lump as if he were at some fine dinner in the presence of royalty.

She had to admire him for that. Even now, when her food was delivered to her, she usually scarfed it down as quickly as she could, not taking time to be polite about eating it. She only slowed down long enough to savor the taste. This man obviously had something to prove, to himself or her, though she wasn't sure what it was.

When he was done eating, he stood to stretch and Sigyn caught him looking at her with a calculating eye. She just curled herself into a tighter ball, wishing that the cube would take her back to her cell, where she was safer, and alone. She didn't care why the cube had brought her here, all she wanted was to go back to her cell and stay alone and unbothered until the day she died. But still she remained there, the man watching her as if he could see her very soul.

Eventually, he sat on his pile of blankets, still watching her but with less intensity than before. Instead, his eyes showed curiosity.

"I have studied illusions and magic for centuries longer than you have been alive. And yet you appear, in a place magic is impossible to wield. I have thought about how that could have been, how you had suddenly appeared in this cell while I was absent, only for you to explode into blue fire.

"I've spent the last months thinking of how that could be. And just as soon as I had decided it must have been a hallucination or a trick to get me to comply, you appear again, exactly in the same way you had disappeared.

"So tell me, how does a small, spineless girl end up in a place as terrible as this?"

Sigyn watched him from the corner of her eye as he talked. Regardless of her abilities to know what emotions were running through a person's mind, she had become very good at observing with just her eyes. Once, before she had been found out and taken because of her abilities, she had rejected her powers and could tell the emotions of a person with a single glance. This dark-haired man, while different and much more difficult to read, still showed outwards signs of what he was feeling inside.

She could tell his exterior was nothing more than a thin shell he had built around himself, protecting him from her, but more importantly, from those that wanted to hurt him. She didn't know what those creatures were, or what they wanted from him, but the dark-haired man hadn't shown as much fear the brief first time she had seen him. Something had changed. And that shell he had constructed around himself was close to breaking. She could see the cracks in it from the way his eyes shined with fear and sorrow behind the curiosity he was looking at her with.

He didn't show any outward signs of physical injury, but Sigyn could still tell there was evidence of torture. He favored his right arm only slightly. He was trying to hide it, or it had healed enough to be less noticeable, but there was an injury there. He seemed to be favoring almost every part of his body. He had to have been in no small amount of pain.

But her attention flicked back to his eyes where the emotional pain that had been hiding underneath glinted just for a moment. This man had known great sadness, was still trying to understand and cope with it even as he was tortured by the people who now kept him in this cell.

Sigyn realized that the two of them were the same, yet so very different. Had this man been telling the truth when he had last spoke, he had endured a lifespan longer than even what she had experienced. They had both known such sadness and loneliness, had been isolated from the people that they loved. And if he possessed magic like he had claimed, had studied it… Maybe she wasn't the only one of her kind, cursed to live centuries past what her family and loved ones did.

But, as much as she had in common with him, they were different. The man had let his sorrow consume him, let it determine how he reacted, the decisions he made. She could see the guilt in his eyes, much different than the guilt she felt herself. She hadn't let it take over her life. He was haunted by his past because of the things he did, for reasons he now found to be unacceptable. And she, while haunted by her past, didn't feel the same way.

Sigyn didn't know the man, had only spent a few hours in his presence, but she understood what he needed. After over a century of helping people with her power of emotions despite what she had experienced, she knew exactly what he needed.

She took a deep breath, slowly uncurling, her legs extending and arms pushing her up off the floor. She moved with slow movements not to startle the man, and so that she could watch him for any signs that he would attack her. Sigyn took small steps towards where the man was, unaware of the shivering of her body, only focused on helping someone in need.

When she was close to the man, Sigyn knelt, her knees complaining against the hard, cold ground. But she ignored it, reaching her hand out slowly toward him. Their eyes locked as her hand approached his own. She looked into his light blue eyes, and he into her own darker blue. Each was vulnerable for different reasons. But Sigyn still reached out and touched her fingertips gently to the back of his hand.

No bond snapped into place, but instead a slow warmth that spread from the contact of their hands. Both the man and Sigyn relaxed, their bodies sagging as if a large amount of pressure had been lifted from their bodies.

Sigyn moved, keeping her fingertips touching his hand, so her back was against the wall, almost as far as she could be from him while still keeping contact. Gently, after time had passed with the two sitting that way, Sigyn laid her hand completely atop his.

They both watched as faint light slowly filled the hallway outside the cell, watching as the fire flickered and danced, neither saying a word.

Sigyn, feeling comfortable around the man now that she knew he wasn't going to attack her, felt tired and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall.

She dozed off not long after, her head lolling against the wall. But, her sleep was interrupted by the sound of a large door, then heavy footsteps from far away.

They were coming back, those things that Sigyn had no name for. Those monsters who laughed at the dark-haired man's pain, who threw his food on the dirty ground. She didn't know why they were coming, for she didn't think any cells around her, if there were any other than the one she was currently in, had occupants. They would only be walking down this way for one reason. The man.

She instinctively jerked away from him, scrambling back to her corner where she curled into the same small ball as before. The man didn't stand or give any outward sign of her quickly moving away from him, or the sounds of the feet that stomped through the hall, growing closer.

Two beasts appeared from the same direction as the last time, one unlocking the cell as the man stood from his pile of blankets.

"Time for another torture session is it?" The man moved forward, looking at Sigyn from the corner of his eye before moving his attention back to the beasts.

The things, Sigyn still couldn't decide what to call them, didn't laugh or say anything. From behind, Sigyn could see the man's shoulders drop slightly, though his head tilted a little higher.

"So, I am to be at your master's mercy again today. Very well, I do not have the energy to play with you two anyway."

His voice, while sounding as light and as unbothered as Sigyn had ever heard, held a small amount of tension. She abruptly feared for him as he stepped and followed to two guards The slammed the cell door shut and he didn't look back at her.

* * *

It had to have been hours as she waited there. The guards didn't come back, she didn't even hear the scurry of a rat as she sat shivering once again. Yet exhaustion took over. She had only sat in this cell for hours on end, but yet she could feel her energy draining away, as if something was siphoning it out of her.

But there was nothing she could do now, no use in trying to stay awake. The guards either didn't care that she was there, hadn't seen her because they were so focused on the man, or maybe they couldn't see her in the first place. Whatever it was didn't matter. She would wake if she heard the door opening and the footsteps of those beasts.

She rested her head against the wall, pressing her cheek against it despite the warmth it stole from her, and fell asleep. The cold didn't keep the memories disguised as dreams away.

* * *

 _She healed quickly, that much she could remember from being in the hospital. She had been told not to worry about a thing, that her siblings were being taken care of as she recovered. But her pain had stopped only days after she had been shot by her father. There was only a small red scar that was already fading._

 _She knew it baffled the doctors. They had to remove the bullet that was embedded in her shoulder, though it hadn't hit bone or any major arteries. They told her that she was very lucky, that she would only walk away with limited use of her arm. But when she had started to heal quickly the doctors were amazed, not able to explain what was happening._

 _When word got out to the other doctors and nurses they started to call it a miracle. Several nurses and doctors had told her that she deserved the miracle after the misfortune that had befallen her family. Several pastors and ministers had stopped by to pay her a visit, and she could tell they wanted to see the living miracle and hope that being near her would bless them._

 _After the doctors finally released her she returned home, finding her siblings and a neighbor sitting in the parlor waiting for her. They greeted her with shouts of joy, hugging her as she clung to them as tightly as she could._

 _She knew she had to be the responsible one now, had to make sure that her brother and sister were raised and went to school and had a great life. The girl knew there were hard decisions to be made, things she would have to think about, but at that moment she was just happy to hold her siblings close._

 _The next weeks passed and the girl finally decided what she needed to do to keep her brother and sister safe, to give them a good future._

 _They were so angry at her when she told them that she was selling the house. They wouldn't listen to her as she tried to explain that they couldn't afford to keep it without any income, especially the large amount that her father had brought in each month. So while her siblings were at school she looked at smaller, less expensive houses on the market in the same general area._

 _She found a house on her second day of looking, buying it from a family that was selling it because they needed something larger. Within the next two weeks, the girl and her siblings had packed everything that was most important to them as well as half of their belongings and moved it to the new house._

 _The girl's brother and sister didn't talk to her for weeks after they moved, but she knew it was the right thing to do._

 _As time went on, it became obvious that the family couldn't live off of the money they had inherited or the money they had received from selling the house. The girl knew she had to find a job._

 _She applied for everything she could think of, as a maid, as a cook, working in the market, but nothing was available or she was turned down for the job because she was "too well-bred" or "too pretty" for that kind of work._

 _But she was becoming desperate. Three months after she had moved her family to the new home, she answered a newspaper ad, looking for "a beautiful woman otherwise unskilled."_

 _She wasn't sure what to expect when she went to the designated meeting place in the evening. What she encountered though, was something she never would have picked for herself. But there were no other options, and they told her she would be perfect for it, that she could receive her desired amount of money in a single week instead of a month, but only if she played her cards right._

 _So she accepted the offer._

 _That was the first night she sold her body to the highest bidder._

* * *

Sigyn woke to tears running down her face, the warmth of them startling against the frosty air. She could see her breath as it came out in gasps. Then she heard the footsteps, realizing that there had been a bang of a door that had brought her out of the dream.

She brought her appendages closer to her again, wrapping her arms around her knees as the footsteps grew closer and closer.

The three of them appeared, one of the guards opening the door and the other shoving the man inside, just as they had the first time she had been here. Only this time, the man landed hard on his hands and knees. He stayed there as the bars were slammed shut again, and the guard-beast-things lumbered down the hallway.

Sigyn approached the man cautiously, being sure not to make sudden sounds or movements incase he was startled. As she drew closer she could see the sweat that glistened on his face despite the freezing temperature. He was panting, his breath also coming out in white puffs, and he was shaking.

She couldn't help it. Despite her years with limited human contact she couldn't let another person suffer while she was there and able to help in some way. She kneeled next to him once more, reaching out her hand in a way that she made sure he could see, before gently touching his forehead.

The warmth swept through them both again, calming the worse of each of their anxieties. They stayed like that for some time, until the man's knees and hands grew sore and they moved to sit back against the wall.

She took his hand in hers this time, holding it between her own, letting him know that she was here, that he wasn't alone. She needed the comfort just as much as he did, the knowledge that there was someone else there, that she wasn't by herself in that cell of hers.

But it couldn't last, that much Sigyn knew, she just didn't know exactly how long she had. It wasn't a surprise when she started to feel a build of energy, and she knew her time here was up.

Sigyn let go of the man's hand, standing and backing away from him.

Their eyes met again, his filled with fear and desperation as he said "Don't go."

But she didn't have a choice. She couldn't have predicted the tear that dripped down her face and off of her chin right before blue light filled her vision.


	10. Vengeance and Defeat

Something was different when she woke up. Her eyes remained shut, but her mind jumped to process everything she had witnessed and felt while she was with the man. But, as her mind struggled to sort through all the information, she could feel the complete wrongness of the air around her. Her brain so confusing in the mass of rolling thoughts, emotions, and memories that obscured any part of her mind that might be aware enough to make sense of what was going on around her.

The faint sensation of lying flat, as if on a bed, trickled into her mind slowly, as anger, pain, pride, hope, and fear clouded more than just the part of her mind she usually left for decoding emotions. It was all bleeding together, her memories with the dark-haired man's face mixed with emotions that didn't feel like hers. Memories, otherwise hopeless and sad, were now associated with the feelings of pride and happiness.

If this man was locked in this cell and couldn't find a way out then she knew her own cell would be impossible to escape.

The thought, attached to the memory of the first time she had seen the dark-haired man, shredded through her mind. The underlying emotions of that thought, desperate hopelessness, came to her surrounded by joy and anticipation. It overwhelmed her as that thought, that pinpoint in her memory, shattered.

Shards of that memory ripped and tore into other memories, other thoughts, other emotions, damaging them, infecting them with the same disease that had destroyed the first one. She watched, horrified, as the memory of her mother laughing became gray and crumpled until it was only a small and weathered memory.

Other memories, less important, some that she hadn't known existed in her mind, shattered or just crumpled.

But, as she watched a more recent memory become infected, everything in her mind suddenly went still, frozen as Sigyn's whole being became aware of how important that one memory was to her, despite having experienced it only minutes ago.

It was the man's face. He looked at her, his eyes shining almost as if he were about to cry. His face was scrunched in desperation and depression. His eyes held fear. With his back against the wall, handheld outstretched, he said words that she knew would haunt her for a very, very, long time. "Don't go."

Those two words, stretched out to an eternity but also happening at every point of her existence, pushed her to fight. She stopped the memory from shattering, and the others that were now infected from breaking apart as well. She drove the sickness out of her mind, grasping each memory and surrounding it with _his_ face, _his_ words.

Her mind, still chaotic with rumbling thoughts and emotions, felt healthier despite her exhaustion. She carefully searched for the cause of the entire ordeal, feeling her mind gently for holes or damage.

It took longer than it should have for her to realize that the walls she had so carefully built and strengthened over the last four months, had been completely mutilated. Holes and tears existed in what was left of the barrier, ripped apart as if a monster had been rampaging through her mind. But, as she spotted the red tint that glowed dimly at the edges of each tear, she realized a monster _had_ been ripping through her mind.

As quickly as she could, while also being careful of the wounds in the wall, she patched and rebuilt, thanking the universe when foreign emotions suddenly stopped invading her mind. She surveyed the red tinge around the now healing wounds, prodding it with her mind gently.

It was the doctor's mind. He had been in the room with her when her shields fell. Somehow, someway, his mind and emotions had wormed into hers, tainting it.

Anger as she had never felt before coursed its way through her mind, building and building until the force became something tangible in the air around her. Distantly, she heard voices call out in confusion, but the anger held, growing stronger as each memory of Doctor Barret suddenly appeared at the front of her mind.

He was going to pay for what he did, even if it killed her to do it. So she reached out with her mind, searching, waiting, hoping that he would be there. He was.

Her eyes snapped open and immediately met those of the man she was now hunting. His brown eyes didn't show fear as her body jerked against the restraints she hadn't realized held her to a table. But that didn't matter. Not when she held the man's mind, cupped gently within her own presence.

The energy that had been building around her grew stronger, causing the other three people in the room to press themselves against the closest wall. But those people didn't matter. They weren't the ones she wanted, at least not yet.

She grinned at Doctor Barret, gripping his mind tight enough so that he became well aware of the amount of danger he was in. His face drained of color, his expression changing from smug pride to fear as he realized he only had a few precious moments left to live.

Efficiently, Sigyn pushed the fear she had felt as he had dissected her so long ago into his mind, not bothering to be careful about the damage she did.

Doctor Barrett's fists clenched, his whole body going rigid as she ripped through his mind, clawing and tearing holes, just as he had somehow done to her. She sent that force that had gathered around her to him, pushing him so forcefully into the wall that she could hear the snap as his ribs broke.

He was feeling real pain now, and Sigyn could tell that several of his organs were damaged, that he was going to die from that bleeding, but not before she ripped his mind into so many shreds that, even if he did survive, he would be nothing more than a shell.

Sigyn watched as she finished ripping his mind apart, leaving just enough of him left to be aware that he was dying, to feel the pain of the injuries that she had inflicted upon him.

He slid down the wall moments later, Sigyn releasing him as she felt his life leave every piece of his body.

She wished she could have taken her time destroying him, but she was aware that these people in the room with her would get over their fear soon and sedate her. Or someone else would enter the room to stop her as well.

But none of that mattered now. Her anger and the power surrounding her dissipated, the task she had set out to do completed. She had not been able to defend her mind as the damage happened, so she defended herself by destroying the mind that had done it, preventing it from happening again.

After it was done, her mind and body fell into an exhausted haze. She was dimly aware of the room around her, of people talking, angry voices. She had the impression, from the emotions that were dimly leaking through her walls, that she had been out of her body, essentially unconscious, for much longer than she realized.

But she was so tired. Her mind had been sent somewhere unknown, attacked by a man with no kind or pure thoughts, and she had used any of her remaining energy killing the man who had done it. For now, she needed rest. She didn't care what the people did to her. All she wanted was to sleep.

* * *

 _Fragments of memories danced across her mind as they tried to find the other pieces they belonged with. As they flitted back and forth and around, sounds and images pushed their way to the forefront of her mind._

 _A high pitched voice, filled with hate and grief came first. "I hate you, I wish you would have died!"_

 _Her father stared down the barrel of his pistol at her, telling her he had been aiming to kill her._

 _Her sister's wedding froze in front of her. Her sister standing in the high collared white dress next to a man in a stylish suit. Relief as she realized that her sister was finally in good hands._

 _Joy as her brother's first child was born, followed by another._

 _Pain as she watched her mother fade away, her body going completely still._

 _Screaming, echoing off metal walls as doctors surrounded her._

 _And the man, whispering those last words to her as his eyes filled with pain._

 _But her mind settled on a succession of memories, undamaged by the disease that had plagued her mind._

 _It was several weeks after that first job the girl accepted. Already she had become popular among the gentlemen who requested services from the organization that she now worked for. She requested that most of her clients see her during the day, while her siblings were in school, though she refused to say that was the reason._

 _Her siblings stayed unaware of the job she had found for herself, but they knew that there was now money coming into the household. But they were still angry at her, only speaking to their older sister when they had no other choice._

 _Her memory skipped forward a year and a half. The girl's brother had graduated from secondary school and had enrolled in a university on the other side of the city. He had found an apartment, a job to support himself, and had been accepted into his program of choice._

 _After her sister had graduated from her ladies secondary school, the two young women started finalizing candidates for the younger girl's marriage. But, fate chose for the younger sister as she fell in love with a man who also loved her. He had a great job, and his family had been very accepting of her. But, even after her brother had moved to his own apartment, and her sister married, the woman continued to work as she did, visiting men and being paid well._

 _It wasn't until her brother, visiting her to tell her of a girl he wanted to marry, that the truth of what she had been doing to support herself and her siblings for the past several years came to light._

 _Her brother was not as disgusted as she thought he would be. Instead, he apologized._

" _I didn't know what you were doing to keep us off the streets. You kept us in school, you let us succeed, but I've only ever been angry at you. I'm sorry."_

 _Despite her high standing within the escort services, the woman stopped seeing clients as her brother helped her find a job that she should have had in the first place. Eventually, she settled with assisting a doctor in his private practice, helping with patients and using her abilities in small ways to help ease the patients out of nervousness, and occasionally ease them into death._

 _After her sister's third child had been born, the woman remembered looking into the mirror and staring in shock as she realized something wasn't quite right. In fact, it was rather wrong. She leaned closer, hoping that her imagination had put the thought into her head. But the closer she looked and studied her face, the more obvious it became._

 _Her face, and her body she realized, were still young. At almost thirty years old her face and body should have shown signs just like every other person. But there wasn't a hint of wrinkles next to her eyes, or around her mouth. Her skin, while still freckled, stayed otherwise flawless. Her body had not gained the extra weight that everyone seemed to after growing into adulthood. She looked young, as young as she had when she was eighteen struggling to support her siblings._

 _She knew her time was limited, that people would start to notice, so she planned for the future._

 _The first comment came just two years later. The three siblings had met for lunch on a bright afternoon, catching up and discussing how life was for each of them._

 _They were surprised when Mrs. Gilbert, a neighbor when the three of them lived in their parent's house before their mother died, approached them just as they were finishing their food._

" _Well, isn't it just so nice to see the Carnell children again!" She was smiling widely as the three of them looked at her._

 _She had aged, that was much was obvious from her graying hair and much more subdued clothing. She was much more plump than before, wrinkles on her face._

" _Look at you," she said, looking to the youngest sister. "I've heard that you have three children of your own now. And you," she turned to the brother, "if I understand correctly, are about to graduate with not one, but two doctorate degrees. And you," she turned to the older sister, "made sure they succeeded."_

 _The three siblings smiled, saying thank you, offering pleasantries in return. But her memory highlighted the next words Mrs. Gilbert said to her._

" _You all look wonderful and healthy, especially you Eura." She looked at her with confusion for a moment. "You look exactly like I remember you. You haven't aged a day!"_

 _She said it with false cheer and a fake smile, and then she knew. Mrs. Gilbert had seen that she wasn't aging normally. The plans she had made for the past two years suddenly became more urgent._

 _As Mrs. Gilbert walked out the door of the restaurant, Eura grew quiet as her brother and sister spoke to one another. Eura just enjoyed the sound of their murmuring voices, wondering if this would be one of the last times she would hear them._

* * *

Eura Carnell. That had been her name, or at least it had been the name her parents had given to her. She knew, with very sudden clarity, that while it had been her name when she was born, she had taken many others over the course of her life, moving and changing her name every seven to ten years.

But now she knew more about who she was before this mess began. She knew her name, and she had remembered her brother and sister's name. Rupert and Magnolia.

But, as important of a milestone that was, things were changing now, not in the past. Doctor Barret, the man who had tortured her to the edge of her sanity, was dead. She had killed him with her raw power, her mind-crushing his as her physical power crushed his body.

She had done it. It was one of the first things she set out to do once she was in her right mind. He was dead.

He hadn't been the first she had killed, and she doubted that he would be the last if she ever escaped this place. There were going to be a lot of people who paid for what they had done to her.

Sigyn knew that they would be more careful with her from now on. That much had been obvious when she had awoken to her cell, empty except for the mattress, toilet, and shower. They had taken everything from her, all her extra blankets, her books, hairbrush, even the rubber ties she used to braid her hair. It was all gone. Even her food had started lacking. They didn't feed her the sludge-like before, but they had replaced her food with rice, beans, bread, and unseasoned meat.

It hurt her more than she ever would have thought it would. The lack of comfort, even in material items, had affected her in ways she didn't know it could. There was the hope that had been slowly building unnoticeably in the back of her mind. But all of that had been crushed slowly, agonizingly, as she realized that the things she had started to take advantage of weren't coming back.

Weeks had passed, and there were no surprises with her meals as there was before. The door between her room and the cube's room didn't open once. She was surprised to miss it.

She stayed cuddled on her mattress under her blanket, trying to stay warm under the thin covering. She only stood to eat, her instincts driving her to survive. But she had given up. Her reason for living had been nothing but instinct for so long, and the loss of everything that had become good drove her back behind the line she had only just crossed.

So she lay there. Waiting as her body started to waste away from disuse, as her mind started to shrivel from lack of exercise. She waited for death to take her, welcoming the weakness that started to creep through her body once again.

Her mind slipped away little by little until only immediate thoughts and basic emotions existed. And then she could feel it, about two months after she had killed that man. Her mind broke fully. And as she closed her eyes, she could only hope that she wouldn't wake up.


	11. Alive

A loud noise woke her. She was aware of the cold first, followed closely by the sensation that she was leaning against something both from the back and to her left. Her cheek was pressed against the wall, and she had to have been like that for a while because the wall under her cheek felt warm, not cold like the air around her.

She wasn't dead. She had hoped that she had fallen asleep for the last time, that it had been the end of her suffering. It wasn't, obviously. She felt bitter about it. She didn't really want to die, she wanted to keep living her life, do all the things on the list she had created once she realized she was going to be alive for a long time. But the way they had made her life, waiting for each meal, finding relief in small items that should otherwise have been easy to get, wasn't how she wanted to spend the rest of her days. She would rather die than stay trapped.

From far away, as if it was at the end of a tunnel, she could hear footsteps, the sound of clanging, and deep rumbling voices she didn't understand. She didn't try to comprehend what the sounds meant, only thinking of ways to hurry her death along, to not allow them to make her suffer more.

She had already tried not eating, but her instincts couldn't ignore the _beep_ that signaled food was in her compartment. No, that would take much too long. She would need to find a faster way, one that was painless.

Her mind slowed, all thoughts disappearing as she slowly slipped back toward unconsciousness. Faintly there was a voice. She didn't hear the words, just the low rumbling of a man's voice.

A soft touch on her hand suddenly brought her focus back from the black that had almost completely taken over her mind. It spread warmth through her body, and her breath became deeper, her heart rate more steady. She hadn't even realized that her breathing and heart rate had been so erratic.

Sigyn groaned as she started to move, her body stiff and so, so hard to move. The warmth that had come from the small touch on her hand intensified. A hand gripped hers, a hand that she had held between both of hers over two months ago. She gripped it, holding it as tightly as she could, afraid that she would lose the contact that had now, abruptly, become her lifeline.

As her body thawed, her joints popping and creaking as she stretched them, tears silently ran down her face. She had let the darkness take control. It had completely broken her and she had let it take her, consume her. So she cried, for the person she had been before, for the family she now remembered but would never see again, for the man who now held her hand, though she wasn't exactly sure why.

The tears stopped some time later. The man was there, his hand still gripping hers, and she could feel him next to her, leaning on the wall her back was pressed against. She opened her eyes, turning her head until she was looking at his face.

He was so pale, his blue eyes standing out from his skin. He looked unwell, sick, tortured. His hair, still long, was much more tangled than before. But he stared at her with eyes that said he was grateful. There was a happy glint there, small, but real. But his face expressed worry.

He gripped her hand tighter before speaking softly. "You were close to death. I didn't know if you were going to come back."

Sigyn shivered, both at his words and at the always present chill in the air. She grabbed his hand with both of hers, pulling it to her chest before dragging her knees up. The man shifted closer to her, his arm pressing into her shoulder, letting her know that he was there beside her.

He didn't say a word as the cell grew darker, only removing himself from Sigyn's grip for a few moments to gather his pile of blankets and wrap the two of them as well as he could.

She didn't understand why, but she felt a connection with him. Not in the usual way she had through her powers, but an actual real emotional bond, emotions that were only hers. Maybe it was just because this man was the first one she had friendly contact with in more than fifty years.

But she could tell he needed the interaction, the contact, just as she did. They had both been through such trauma, had been through their own personal hell. They were still going through it, still suffering as they tried to find a way out.

"What happened to you?" He whispered to her in the darkness as if he was afraid of both question and answer.

She didn't reply, not able to gather her strength enough to open her mouth to ask the same question to him, and she didn't feel like sharing her story anyway. But he didn't seem hurt that she didn't answer. It was almost as if he wasn't expecting an answer at all.

Minutes passed, and eventually, his breath deepened, his head lolling and his grip on her hand loosening as he fell into a light sleep. She didn't need much nudging as she followed his example, her head leaning against the wall next to her left.

* * *

 _Two boys walked through the streets of a city that was both modern, old, and beautiful. The entire city seemed to be made of gold, each building rising out of the ground as if painted by an artist. People were walking about unhurriedly, greeting both the older and young boy with smiles._

 _The boys were talking, running through the streets, playing with some of the other children that came to say hello, before slowing to talk again. They were just children, brothers by their interactions, enjoying the day of beautiful weather._

 _The dream skipped, showing the same two children, the elder now a young adult and the younger in teenage years fighting each other with different weapons. The bigger one, with blond hair and broad shoulders, held an ax in one hand and a shield in another. The smaller one, slimmer yet more agile, held two daggers._

 _The bigger one moved with large bold movements and use his weapons with strength. The smaller boy was much quicker, dancing around his brother's blows and searching for openings for his own weapons. But there were suddenly two of the small boy, then a third joining the pair. The bigger boy fought each one off for several moments before the two illusions started to dissipate. The two boys stopped fighting when the small one angled a dagger at the bigger one's throat._

 _The brothers laughed, backing away from each other._

" _Very good Loki, I could not tell which one of you was real!" The older one exclaimed, slapping a hand down on his brother's shoulder._

" _And you, dear brother, survived longer than the last time we fought."_

 _They both laughed again, walking away, towards the towers that had served as a backdrop for their fight._

 _The scene changed again, showing the two boys now completely grown. They were in a throne room, both standing in front of the dais that held a man sitting on a throne. He was old, white-haired, aged, and a golden eyepatch on his right eye. To his left was a woman, more gracefully aged and beautiful with curled blond hair. Both of them watched their children._

" _My sons," the man said. "As you know, the time has come for me to announce the heir of Asgard. As tradition requires, the oldest child is to be the one that replaces me. I have decided that the time for me to allow the next generation to ascend the throne has come. Thor, I believe you are ready."_

 _The image dissipated and a new one took its place._

 _Loki paced in front of his mother, his face pained as she watched him. It was a long time later when Loki finally said, "I don't think he is ready mother."_

* * *

 _The dream changed, turning into something familiar to Sigyn, something she feared. They were just flashes of memory, nothing solid. But, faces that haunted her were there. Lives that had ended because of her actions one way or another, and the lives she had taken by her hand._

 _Though Doctor Barret's face loomed the closest, and with the most detail, it was the one death she felt no guilt or remorse about. That man had tortured her in more ways than one, but still, he was here, haunting her memories, her dreams._

 _Everything that flitted across her mind, bits and pieces still trying to find their way back to where they belonged, was clouded in a thick layer of smoke. Nothing was clear, everything muddled. Voices were distorted as fragments came to her, images only partially seen. But his face remained constant._

 _Something, a hand, dragged her down, deeper and deeper into her mind, her memories. The darkest places of her mind contained her worse memories. Those were the things she didn't want to ever remember. The face of her brother, aged, pale, tinged slightly with blue as he lay in a coffin. The same coffin lowered into the ground, dirt piled on top of it._

 _The faces of the people she cared about, her sister, her nieces and nephews, all looking out at her from their own coffins, followed her, just as doctor Barret's did._

 _Her mind took her into her most terrifying memory. It wasn't damaged like the others had been, but twisted because of the feelings associated with it._

 _Blood dripped down her arms, running from her wrist to fingertips, then dripping onto the floor. She watched, fascinated, as the blood started to gather on the ground, forming puddles. But this wasn't right, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. She wasn't supposed to die._

 _But then the world turned black, and the girl, both in memory and dream, knew nothing else._

* * *

The hands that held her own were the only things that kept her anchored to the world. She could feel herself, her mind and soul, hovering just at the edges of a darkness that was strangely full of light. But the hands, both so large around her small one, kept her from passing just over the edge. It kept her from answering the call of voices she would never forget.

But there was another voice from a different direction. It was still in her mind, and it was less a voice and more of a ball of tumbling and rolling thoughts. She turned her back to that darkness that held the voices of everyone she had loved, and focused her attention on the other thoughts that were so close to her own.

She couldn't understand them. Never had she encountered a mass of feelings, a mind so tangled that there was no actual thoughts to them. But there was something else unusual to it. The feelings, naturally tinted with green the same way hers had always been coated in turquoise were now covered in a different color.

Just like hers had been only hours ago, there was something else invading it. Yellow coated, smothered, and confused every thought and feeling it touched. It had almost completely taken over the mind, leaving very little of what it was before.

Sigyn acted on complete instinct reaching out forcefully with the small amount of energy she had left. She set a lasting protection around the remaining undamaged parts of the mind. It wouldn't do much against the rapidly expanding yellow mass, but she could only hope that it would be enough to help the person fight for themselves.

And her hope for that was the last thing to run through her mind, followed closely by the comfort the hand holding hers emitted.

* * *

She was still so cold. She was lying down this time, her back pressing against the cold ground, but she could feel a slight heat hovering above her face.

Sigyn opened her eyes, blinking to clear the haze from her vision, looking to see the shape that hovered over her. Blue eyes met hers, and the face she saw was an emotionless mask. She could see that he was worried. The slight wrinkle around his eyes gave away the emotion he seemed desperate to hide.

She saw a glimmer of something in his eyes, an unnatural blue flicker, brighter and more electric than his real eye color. She stared, watching as it danced across, and almost completely take over. Sigyn let out a gasp as his face suddenly took on a cruel look, a terrible grin taking over his face.

Thinking quickly, she reached her hand forward, brushing her fingertips against his cheek. The effect was instantaneous. That electric blue in his eyes disappeared, and the grin turned from frightening to soft, genuine. She took her hand from his cheek, but he gently took hold of it grasping it tightly, the warmth of his hand soaking into hers.

She shivered, the warmth in her hand making her suddenly aware that the rest of her body was resting on a very cold floor. She moved, bringing the hand that he wasn't holding to prop herself up. She let out a small yelp of surprise as her body spiked with pain, completely protesting any movement. The man helped her up, pausing when she let out a gasp of pain, or stopped moving completely.

Eventually, the two of them made it to the corner of the cell where the pile of blankets had been left. The two sat side by side, the blankets covering them as best as they could, shoulders touching.

They were silent for some time, Sigyn happy that there was someone to be with, that she wasn't alone.

"Loki," the man said in a whisper. Sigyn startled, turning her head to look at him trying not to jostle the blankets. "My name is Loki."

Sigyn smiled, opened her mouth to tell him her name, but quickly snapped it shut after only a fraction of a second. She had only spoken one word in the last twenty years, the "no" when those people had come to take her out of her cell. That had been said out of complete desperation. But now, it was hard for her to form the words. She had been silent for so long except that one word, no one there to listen to her or to care what she said that she just couldn't bring herself to break her silence.

She took his hand and wrote her name on his palm one letter at a time. "S," he said once he realized what she was doing. "I. G. Y. N. Sigyn?" She nodded. "Nice to meet you."

There was more silence as the cell darkened though it was comfortable. Eventually, Sigyn drifted off to a doze, her head resting against Loki's shoulder.

"You died," he whispered to her gently, only willing to admit it when she couldn't hear. "I couldn't let you die."

But she did hear him. The words didn't register in her brain, but her mind filed them away to be analyzed at a later time, when she wasn't mostly asleep. But all thoughts of that disappeared when the door at the end of the hallway slammed open.

Loki, seeming otherwise unstartled, stood quickly. The blankets slipped from him, piling onto Sigyn instead. Quietly he said, "Please be here when I come back." And then the monsters came into view and took Loki by much less force than they had last time. Sigyn noticed that he didn't resist at all. And that, more than anything, told her how bad his situation was. He was past the point of fighting, just like she was.

She couldn't control the thoughts that ran through her head once he was gone. What had they been doing to him to make him go with them willingly? And then she thought back to when she had awoken, how he had looked so sickly, so pale. And the warmth of his hand when he held hers… It was so cold in this place. His body shouldn't have been able to produce that much heat unless he was sick and had a fever.

The sheen of sweat on his pale face, the heat that came off of him in waves, the flickering of that unnatural color in his eyes. She had thought she had been dreaming, but now that she thought about it and the bright darkness that had called to her she knew what she saw must be something real. The only mind that had been near enough for her to see in such detail would have been the man's. Loki's. And his mind had been almost completely consumed by that strange yellow invader.

But there was something familiar about the strange light that had taken over his mind. She had encountered something similar, something that had the same power radiating off of it. But before she could grasp what it was, before the thought that was just on the edge of her comprehension could be understood, her thoughts scattered. Instead, a memory took its place.

" _You died. I couldn't let you die."_

There were no images attached to the memory but she could feel her head against a warm shoulder, could feel the blankets that laid atop her body, and most of all, she could hear the quiver of fear in his voice as he said it.

And that brought her mind back to that darkness that called to her, the voices that beckoned for her to join them. That had been the call to death. She had been so close, so close to the end of her suffering, of the pain she had known most of her life, of the sacrifices that she had made for her family, to survive, and then just to be alive long enough to reach this point, to find Loki, who had saved her from that dark unknown place.

And then her thoughts snapped back to his mind, covered in the powerful yellow thing. But there had been that one spot left, just enough of him left for her to protect, for her to keep as himself so he may break free of the thing that was keeping him trapped.

She had given up on living after she had killed that doctor, that man who had hurt her so terribly. She hadn't had a reason to live. But Loki, the man who had pulled her back from death despite having been so consumed by the power, had given her a new reason.

And when that electric blue power had crossed his eyes, when that terrible cruel smile had taken over his face her touch had brought him back, had kept that power from completely taking over. Sigyn could save him, she knew that she only needed to be able to use her powers to help clear out the influence in his mind.

She would live for him, to save him. Because, even though he had shown her a rough and cold exterior at the beginning, he had also shown her a softer side, something that she doubted many people saw. So she would fight to survive, fight so she could grow stronger, fight so that she would be able to save him, to give him something worth living for, just as he had made her want to live and fight.

So she waited, listening for that door to bang open, for him to appear back in the cell so she could try to help him. She waited, listening to the sounds of a creature with claws scurrying over the ground. The cell got lighter, some form of sunrise allowing the odd blue light to filter into the cell little by little. And still, she waited.

But Loki never came back, the monsters that had taken him never returned.

And then she too was no longer there.


	12. Liz

Elizabeth Martin, also known as Liz to the one friend she had, was recruited by the American government one semester into studying for her psychology doctorate. They told her that she was bound to do great things, that she would be an asset to the agency she would work for. They would pay for her student loans, something Liz would almost be willing to sell her soul for, as long as she worked for her agency for five or more years.

At the time she had accepted right away. She would maintain her United Kingdom citizenship and be eligible for dual citizenship in America if she wanted. She would travel the world and see different cultures just as she had wanted to do for her entire life.

But, she was three years into her contract, two more years to go, and she wished with all the world that she hadn't pressed her fingerprints on the papers that signed five years of her life away. She had traveled, just as they promised, but she wasn't able to see much of the places she visited. Instead, she had to do her assigned duty and report back immediately.

But that part was okay, they were still paying off her student loans.

It wasn't until she was assigned to a place in the American desert, it's exact location unknown because of its "need-to-know" standing, that she really started to regret her decision. She had been driven in, and as skilled as she was, she knew that she never would have been able to find her way back if she were to leave. But that wasn't the problem, she had been in many places where she didn't know her exact location. At least here there was proper food and a real bed she could sleep in, not the dehydrated meals and bedrolls in the middle of a rainforest.

But what she didn't sign up for was watching a human being live in captivity with nothing more than a thick stiff blanket on the floor and her only belongings being the clothes on her back.

Liz had been assigned to a room when she arrived and reported to her new workplace at her specified time. Her boss's boss, Agent Coulson, had been the one to tell her that she was to watch the woman on the screen and report of her doings every day. He had left the room without a word more, and she turned to look at the screens that covered one wall of the room.

She had gotten to know the men who worked in that room very well after spending weeks watching a woman do nothing but sleep, eat, pace and sit on the floor with her eyes closed. She was honestly disgusted as she watched the woman hour by hour, reviewing the recordings of what the woman did while Liz was off duty. No one deserved to live like that woman did, no human contact, blocks of grey slop as food, no change of clothes or anything to do for entertainment.

Liz brought it to her supervisor's attention and only received excuses as a response. She didn't have enough authority to make a difference for the woman, so she did what she did best. She studied the woman, trying to figure her out, while in her free time she subtly looked through the records, searching for any mention of the woman.

She had to look deep, and it took her several weeks to find any sign that there was a record of her at all. It had been buried under mountains of documents, videos, reports of other unrelated things. It had been surrounded by so many firewalls and code that it had taken two weeks for Liz to worm and wiggle her way into the records, copying and extracting the files without setting any alarms off.

There were so many documents, so many video and audio recordings that it took months for Liz to go through the project they called Sigyn. That was how they referred to the woman throughout her time with S.H.I.E.L.D. They called her Sigyn, had named the entire project after her.

Liz had googled the name, only finding that in Norse mythology Sigyn had been the wife of Loki. But there was no indication of why they called her that.

She was horrified when she finally reached the first logs of the project. It was dated fifty years ago and the reports said that they had dissected her. Alive. While she was conscious. They had already known then that she was much different, that she couldn't have been human. But that was no excuse to treat her like an animal. There was so much intelligence in the woman's mind, preliminary tests had found that out rather quickly.

It was then that Liz turned against the agency. She had known something was going on, and she had already started to distrust S.H.I.E.L.D. before she had been assigned in this facility anyway.

She took her defiance to the next level. Liz made excuses, made up stories, wormed her way into her boss's boss's mind enough to tell him she thought that some experiments would be beneficial to finding out how the woman's brain worked, how she would react to certain stimuli.

And finally, eventually, they allowed her to do as she wished. She started taking breakfast to Sigyn, escorted by a guard, and putting the tray in the little doorway with something extra. She started with a hairbrush, having noticed her long hair was a tangled mess. Liz knew that she wouldn't have been able to stand the tangled strands, and her hair had to have been even longer than she could tell.

After giving Sigyn a toothbrush and toothpaste, and shampoo for her hair the change in the woman was noticeable. She started looking healthier, especially when Liz started taking blankets and clothes to her regularly. Liz continued that, and eventually decided it was time to give the woman a book. Sigyn's reaction to it made Liz happy that she did it. The woman held onto it like it was the only thing that kept her alive. When she was almost done, Liz gave her the next book in the series. Sigyn treated it with the same type of attention.

But there were a lot of other things that happened while Liz was doing her "research" on Sigyn. S.H.I.E.L.D. had started doing their own experiments on her as well. That blue cube, the one that was top secret that no one was supposed to know about, mysteriously appeared in the second room of Sigyn's cell once a day. She knew, of course, having hacked her way through all the secrets that the sealed and protected documents on the server held, that that cube was very powerful. She expected more protection of the information from the top-secret government agency. American's could be so stupid.

Liz knew that there had been a lot that went on with that cube decades ago, when Hydra, something else she wasn't supposed to know about, had found it and started to use it to harm people. Captain America had stopped them and when they finally found him, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been the one to get possession of the cube.

They had experimented on it, of course, it was human nature to be curious, but then they started using Sigyn, the same doctor that had been on the team that had dissected her heading up the experiments. It was then Liz knew she didn't want to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore. But she would be damned if she didn't try to do something about helping Sigyn get out of this place.

* * *

It was unfortunate that S.H.I.E.L.D. had decided that Sigyn, after killing that doctor, didn't need any of the extra things that had been given to her, that Liz's "experiments" didn't matter anymore. She had killed a man. It didn't matter if it was self-defense or not.

But, after that, Sigyn wasn't the same person. For months she just laid in her cell, laid there staring at the walls or sleeping. She only got up to use the toilet and to eat when she couldn't resist her instincts anymore.

Liz was beyond horrified. They were just letting Sigyn waste away, not caring that she had lost the will to live. So Liz reported that Sigyn had obviously lost whatever it was that kept her going. It wasn't a surprise that Sigyn fell asleep and didn't wake after ten hours, then twelve, then twenty-four. It was then that Liz turned her report in saying that Sigyn was in danger.

They took her to a medical room, and Liz was still responsible for overseeing her overall health, not that it did her much good. Sigyn stayed like that for days, not waking, and the doctors worked hard to make her survive. Liz felt like there wasn't anything that she could do to help Sigyn.

* * *

Liz had just laid down after finishing her report on Sigyn for the last twenty-four hours when the alarm went off. It was just before dark and there was still plenty of time before the base settled down for the night. Liz had learned early to take a break when she could. Despite her hard-earned degree, she had duties other than watching Sigyn, especially now that the woman had been comatose for two weeks.

She was just drifting off when the noise startled her awake. The loud tone, deep and annoying, sounded. It was followed by a man's voice. "This is not a drill. All personnel, the evacuation order has been confirmed. Please proceed to your designated vehicles for the safest evacuation. I repeat, all personnel, the evacuation order has been confirmed. Please proceed to your designated vehicles for the safest evacuation."

Liz jumped up, quickly putting her boots back on before hurrying into the hallway. There was already a mass of people, military, agency, and civilians all hurrying to her right, towards the closest stairwell. While Liz fell into the category of "all personnel" she had been told that her orders would be different in a circumstance such as this one. Everyone on the base had been drilled, but Liz's duty was hard to complete unless the circumstances were real.

The first thing she needed to do was make sure that every apartment on this floor was cleared out. Liz turned down the hallway, following the path of the other people, banging on doors and opening them if there was no answer. Every apartment was empty or filled with residence packing up as much as they could before leaving. Liz hurried them, practically pushing them out the door and toward the stairwell.

Once her floor was cleared, Liz moved to the stairwell herself, typing the code into the keypad on the door that signaled that all people were off the floor, before heading to the ground level. She went to the desk there, where the agent in charge of the building was waiting for others like Liz to report.

"Agent Elizabeth Martin reporting floor 17 clear!" She told him. He wrote something on a paper in front of him.

"Agent Martin, do you have other duties?"

"Yes sir," she said, then turned from the man, not waiting for him to dismiss her. She outranked him and her next duty was more important than waiting for dismissal anyway.

Liz jogged down the hallways, turning corners and taking stairways she was familiar with. She headed down to where the cube was studied. Liz didn't have access to the codes that would get her in the door of the med room Sigyn would be in. She thought it was ridiculous. Liz had studied the woman for months, had overseen her care and treatment as best she could despite the orders she received, yet they still didn't trust her with the damn medical code!

There were a few people who would have that access, one of which spent most of his time in the large room dedicated to the cube. She had worked with Agent Barton a few times while she had been here. He was nice, as agents went. He was cocky, but for a good reason. The man certainly had skill.

When she entered the large room, Agent Barton was already on the ground floor talking to Director Fury and Doctor Selvig. Liz knew that none of them would be happy if they were interrupted, especially since it seemed that the cube was the thing that had caused the evacuation. So Liz walked in from behind them, and stood waiting.

A woman with a white lab coat leaned out from behind a piece of equipment saying, "Doctor, it's spiking again."

Doctor Selvig moved to look at the equipment readings with the woman while the Director and Agent Barton moved up to stand next to the cube.

Agent Barton said, "No one's come or gone. And Selvig's clean. No contacts, no IMs. If there was any tampering, sir, it wasn't at this end."

"At this end?" Asked the director.

"Yeah, the Cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right? Doors open from both sides."

Liz heard Doctor Selvig mutter "Not yet," right before the cube gave a burst of energy causing the entire building to shake.

The cube sparked more energy, and everyone watched it with horror, slowly backing away. The cube's power coiled, swirling around itself until the energy was pulled back in, then quickly expelled towards the side of the room Liz had just been walking from.

A blue wall formed, blue smoke coming from it as it grew bigger. Liz thought that she could see stars forming in that blue wall, then knew for sure as it grew even larger and the stars started to shine more brightly. She gaped at it in wonder. It was something out of a television show, a book! She was inside, dozens of stories beneath the ground and she could see stars through an impossible blue window.

The window exploded, and everyone turned away from it. When Liz looked up, blue smoke crawled up the walls, but her attention immediately snapped to where that blue portal thing had just been.

A man was kneeling there, his head down, a spear in his hand. Agents pulled out their guns and aimed at him. They moved slowly and smoothly towards the man, and Liz pulled out her own gun a moment later.

She had been trained for this, had gone through hundreds of hours of learning how to use a gun, where to shoot to kill, to maim. But she had never thought she would actually be in a situation where she would need it. She had grown up in London! Guns were still illegal there, even for law enforcement! The man raised his head, a smile so evil and harsh on his lips that Liz had to shudder. The man stood slowly, looking at the people in the room.

A voice rang out. "Sir, please put down the spear."

The man's attention immediately went to Director Fury, his face almost confused as he looked down at the spear in his hand. The man looked up again, raising the spear a moment later, aiming at the Director. Blue light flew out of the spear hitting equipment as Director Fury and Agent Barton jumped out of the way. Liz did as well, taking cover behind another piece of equipment.

The man jumped as agents started shooting at him, but they only just sparked off his chest. He used the spear to stab one of the men shooting him, threw daggers at another, then used the spear's power to take down another man as well. Carnage ranged as more agents shot at the man and as more burst of energy flew from the spear.

The pieces of equipment that Liz had been hiding behind were blasted with blue power and she was thrown several feet across the room, landing so hard that her vision went black for a moment.

When she finally blinked and raised her head, she saw that the man had Agent Barton by the arm. He said "You have heart," before placing the spear tip over the agent's chest. Blue light flowed through his veins for a moment, his eyes going black, then the same electric blue as the spear.

To Liz's horror, Agent Barton put his gun in his holster, looking at the man for orders. The man moved, rushing towards another agent as Liz saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

Director Fury had gotten to the cube, had grabbed it and put it into a suitcase. He got up to leave, but was stopped when the man with the spear said "Please don't. I still need that."

Director Fury didn't turn as he replied. "This doesn't have to get any messier."

"Of course it does. I've come too far for anything else. I am Loki, of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose."

Doctor Selvig stood from where he was checking on a woman in a lab coat. "Loki, brother of Thor."

The man, Loki, turned towards the doctor with an annoyed look.

"We have no quarrel with your people," Director Fury said, drawing Loki's attention back to him.

"An ant has no quarrel with a boot," Loki answered, his voice matter of fact.

"You planning to step on us?" Director Fury asked, his voice full of real curiosity.

Loki turned, walking so that he was in front of the director. "I come with glad tidings, of a world made free."

"Free from what?"

"Freedom. Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart," he turned. Doctor Selvig wasn't expecting the spear tip to be placed over his sternum, the same blue light running through his veins as it had the other two agents. "You will know peace," Loki whispered.

"Yeah, you say 'peace,' I kind of think you mean the other thing."

"Sir, Director Fury is stalling." Agent Barton walked towards the group of men, stopping beside Loki to look up at the building starting to break away. "This place is about to blow and drop a hundred feet of rock on us. He means to bury us."

"Like the pharaohs of old."

"He's right!" Doctor Selvig's voice came from behind the group, looking at the readings from the cube. "The portal is collapsing in on itself. We've got maybe five minutes before this goes critical."

Loki turned towards Agent Barton saying "Well then."

Agent Barton shot Director Fury in the chest and Liz couldn't hold back a gasp.

Her gasp drew the attention of the remaining four men standing.

Loki drew closer, and Liz started shaking in fear, afraid that he would kill her or brainwash her like the others.

"You are intelligent."

And before she could react the spear was resting directly over her heart.

She was surprised to find that she was still Liz. She felt the need to share with Loki, to do as he said, but she was still herself. Thoughts raced through her head as she realized that this might be the one chance she got to save the only person she really cared for in this building.

"There's something you would be interested in seeing." Liz turned quickly to walk out of the room, not even bothering to see if Loki and the other men were following. She knew, though she wasn't sure how, that he would be curious enough to see what she was talking about.

She lead them down the stairs, down several hallways before stopping in front of a door that had a tiny window in it. Liz looked in. "This was her cell." She moved quickly out of the way as Loki looked in just as she had. When he turned back to her, his eyes were different.

"Whose?" the word came out horse and desperate.

"Sigyn's," was Liz's answer.

The man blinked and his eyes were suddenly a natural blue. Liz hadn't even noticed that his eyes had been the same electric shade as Agent Barton's and Doctor Selvig's.

"Where is she now?" He said fiercely.

Though Liz no longer felt the need to obey him, as if whatever he had done to her had gone with the mention of the other woman's name, she led him down the hall to the medical room.

He must have realized that the others were no longer under his control because upon reaching the door he turned swiftly to Agent Barton, and placed the spear over his chest once more. Before the others could react they were all under his spell again. Not that Liz fought. She realized this was the only way to help Sigyn. She would give up her freedom if it meant the woman getting out of this place.

Agent Barton's key swipe opened the door to find Sigyn laying on a hospital bed, tubes and wires attached to her. "Remove it all," Loki said briskly.

Loki walked to Sigyn, taking her hand gently in his as the others started freeing her from the restraints and tubes attached to her.

"I found you," he whispered. "I asked you to be there and I never came back. But I found you." He brushed his hand gently across her face.

Once she was unrestrained, and everything attached to her had been pulled out as safely as it could he lifted her into his arms. He had little strength, but he would carry her out because she was the one thing worth living for.

As he walked Sigyn's arms came to grip around his neck, holding tightly. Hope surged through Loki. She would live. Now that he was here she would live. And now that he had her, he would live too.


	13. Rescue

Sigyn felt the arms around her, how tightly they were holding her to a chest. It was a man's chest, and she took a moment to soak in the feeling of her body resting comfortably against the man's. His smell was both familiar and strange. He smelled of winter, the brisk cold air that always seemed to hover after freshly fallen snow. But there was another part of his scent, intermingled in a way that was seamless yet very different. She didn't have words to describe it. Sigyn only knew that he smelled wonderful.

The arms that held her tightened, pulling her up closer against his chest. She let her eyes flutter open, curious, and found herself staring at some black and green clothing. She had never seen the style of dress this man was wearing and it looked different, not American, or British, or anything else she knew. The fabric was soft, yet it looked strong enough to stop anything that tried to pierce it.

She closed her eyes again, her brain overwhelmed by some of the things she saw but just simply couldn't understand. It was so bright, her eyes throbbing as if the lights had just been flicked on. There were shapes, blurs of other people, but she couldn't understand them as her body threw so much information at her. She just focused on what she could feel, not what she had seen when she opened her eyes.

She was moving. She could feel each step the man took, the slight jolt as his foot made contact with the ground. As she listened she could several other sets of footsteps as well, at least three, if not more. There were loud cracks, as if something was breaking apart, rock maybe? It was loud, whatever it was.

Sigyn cracker her eyes open again, looking a little farther than the shoulder her head was against. She saw a woman walking alongside the man carrying her, and when she looked up at the man's face she saw he was both familiar and comforting.

It was Loki.

Her eyes slammed shut, her emotions happier than she had been in a long, long time. Without thinking Sigyn brought her arms up and wrapped them around his neck. Her reason for living had found her. She let that thought guide her back into sleep.

* * *

A voice pulled her from the light sleep she had just entered.

"I need these vehicles."

Sigyn didn't open her eyes or bother to try to figure out which of the other three people had spoken.

"Who's that? And why are you taking her?"

That was a woman, though Sigyn didn't think it had been the one walking beside Loki as he carried her. She felt Loki descend a few steps as the first man answered.

"They didn't tell me," a man with a crossbow said.

Sigyn felt herself being laid down gently, in the back of a car if she had to guess. She held onto his neck, but he gently loosened her weak grip before moving away from her.

"You two, take her and protect her. Get her out of here."

Her head and shoulders were gently raised and then settled onto a lap. Three car doors slammed shut and then the vehicle was moving.

Words came over a radio somewhere in the car.

"Hill! Do you copy?" The man's voice was strained, as if in pain or physical strain. A moment later he spoke again. "Barton has turned!"

From a distance, Sigyn could hear the distinct sound of gunshots. She jumped, started at the sound and at the memories that suddenly pushed to the front of her mind.

 _Her father pointing a gun to her head. "I was aiming to kill you quickly."_

And another memory, one that hadn't come forward for decades.

" _No! Please don't!"_

 _It was a woman who screamed, shielding a young boy from a group of men pointing guns at the three of them. Sigyn, who had been walking down the street late that night, stepped in between the mother and the men holding the guns._

" _There's no reason for this," she said calmly, holding her hands out in front of her. "There's no reason for you to be pointing a gun at a little boy!"_

 _But the group of men only laughed. She noticed then that all but one of the men wore matching bandanas. These men were part of a gang, and the one who stood closest to her, his hand shaking as he held the gun, was young. He didn't wear a bandana, and Sigyn knew what that meant._

 _It was an initiation. This young man had to kill someone._

" _If you have to shoot someone, shoot me. Leave the woman and her child alone!" Sigyn shook despite her brave words, but her voice remained steady._

 _The men only laughed again. A voice from the back, gruff and deep said, "Just shoot them all and let's go."_

 _Sigyn shielded the mother and child as she watched the young man's face harden. Then, he pulled the trigger. There was a few seconds filled with gunshots, and then a deafening silence._

 _After the men had left, Sigyn turned her face towards the spot where mother and son now lay. The mother's eyes, wide and lifeless, stared at her, a bullet above her left eye. But the boy, no older than the age of 7, stared right back at her. He was crying, still laying with his mother's arms around him._

 _Sigyn crawled forward, dragging herself through the disgusting ally street, reaching for the boy. She saw the blood once she was close enough to touch him. There was already a pool of it pouring out of his stomach. There was no way this boy would live._

 _Sigyn did what she had to do. She took the little boy's hands in hers, reached into his mind and pulled every strand of pain from him and into herself. She replaced it with love, courage, and peace. She said, "I'm here with you." The child only lasted a minute longer._

 _Sigyn, with the child's pain and her own building inside her, finally let her tears fall. She was thankful when the darkness claimed her._

But the darkness didn't come for her outside of her memory. Instead, she felt tears slide down her face as she sobbed with what she had just remembered.

That little boy, so young, so full of life, dead because of a gang's violent crime. But, the death of the little boy wasn't the only thing she blamed on the gang's actions. That had been the major event that had led to her uncovering.

Someone had found the three of them once morning came. She didn't remember any of that, but she knew that when she woke in the hospital three days had passed. The doctors were baffled by her state. Most of her wounds had healed, sealing many of the bullets inside her body. They had been taken out, examined, and then she was stitched up. Of course, when the nurses came by to check her bandages they realized she was almost completely healed.

Word must have gotten around to the right people, or someone who had been on the lookout of strange things must have found her because the next thing she knew she was discharged, escorted out, and shoved into a windowless van.

She tried to open the doors and punch her way through the wall of the vehicle. Once they realized she was doing damage they sedated her. It took several men to hold her down, and several injections until she was asleep.

And when she woke again, she was in a cold room, tied to a chair, and tortured for answers she didn't have.

A loud sound brought her out of her memories, and Sigyn opened her eyes in time to see a helicopter go right over the car, heading towards the ground. The impact was loud, and so were the blades turning as they broke off after the helicopter landed on its side. Amid the noise, she could hear sounds of more gunshots and two vehicle's engines as they sped up, racing away from the destruction.

"You're safe," murmured a female voice from above her. "The danger is gone for now. Sleep. You're safe."

And Sigyn, not being left much choice by the woman and her body, followed her orders to sleep.

* * *

It was warm when Sigyn woke. There was a blanket, soft and cozy covering her. And the bed beneath her body was also warm, comfortable. And there was a pillow under her head.

It had been a long time since she felt this warm, this safe. Her awareness suddenly shot to the walls protecting her mind and found them still there, weak, but still keeping out unwanted thoughts. She built them stronger, then threw her mind out to see who was around. There were a lot of people in the surrounding rooms, twenty, give or take a few people. She didn't have the energy to get a true count.

Most minds were normal, some subtlety projecting emotions, and some broadcasting as loud as they could. But there were a handful of minds that were not normal. They were infested with a sickly yellow power, one that she was familiar with. She wish her interaction with that power had been a dream, but here it was, more minds infected by it.

Despite the infection, the minds remained unharmed. They still had thoughts, just like the others around did. She couldn't explain it. Never had she seen anything like it before. But none of them held any hostility, not towards her, not towards anyone.

And he was there, Loki. She felt safer in his presence, despite the parts of his mind that were infected as well. But a small portion of it, the part she had protected, remained untainted. That part was purely him.

But she was still tired, and she was safe. Sigyn closed her eyes, drifting off into sleep once again.

When something suddenly touched her hand, she jerked awake, her entire body jumping and pushing itself out of the bed. She felt a sharp tug on her left hand, but she didn't look to see what it was, her eyes instead focused on the corner her body was moving towards.

She huddled in that corner, half-hidden by an armchair, shivering with the sudden cold against the stone walls. She was lost, so lost in her mind, her memories rushing forward from when she had been ambushed before.

 _A sliver of light at the bottom of a door, shadows passing back and forth in front of it. Hands attached to arms, and arms attached to nothing reaching for her out of the darkness, grabbing her and pulling, tugging her frame the place she felt safest._

 _A man, one she had thought of as her friend, watching her with a face that only showed fear and hate. He had betrayed her, led her to believe them still to be friends so that he could get information from her, so that he could turn her in. She never knew when he realized she was different. He had just asked her one day._

The touch of a hand on hers pulled her away from that memory and back to the walls she curled against. She turned her head, looking to see who it was. It was a woman, the one who had been walking beside Loki as he carried her.

"Hey," the woman whispered. Sigyn recognized her voice as the one that had told her she was safe. Loki had told this woman to protect her. It was then that Sigyn finally realized where she was. She wasn't in a cell, she wasn't chained to a bed. Peering around the armchair, Sigyn could see that there was a door, open, on the wall across from where the bed sat. There was no lock. There were no guards outside.

Sigyn stood, squeezing past the other woman on her quest towards the door. She was surprised to feel an odd pulling sensation in her hand, not pain, but it was an uncomfortable feeling. She looked down, finding a tube taped to her arm. She followed a tube to the metal stand lying on the floor the wheels hanging down, the bag still hooked onto it. Sigyn sat the stand straight and dragged it with her as she quickly walked through the open door.

It was a long hallway going in both directions, bricked and damp. "He's this way," the woman told her, walking down the right side of the hallway. Sigyn followed, holding onto the metal stand on wheels.

She was surprised and relieved to realize that the room she had been sleeping in was far from the buzz of the other minds that seemed to be working hard. Her walls held strong, though she knew she would need to work on strengthening them. They would do for now.

The woman finally led Sigyn into the large room that held the twenty-six people she had sensed earlier. They were all moving rather quickly, putting pieces of something together, putting up a frame for what looked to be a room made of plastic. Others were at computer stations, talking to their neighbor, calling out things to the man who seemed to be in charge of the crazy commotion.

Then she saw a man, one who was looking at her with a confused and peculiar look. He stepped away from the crowd of people and walk to the other side of the room, toward Sigyn. As he did, he said, "Sir, she's awake. She's here."

And then she saw him, Loki. He had stepped away from the crowds at the other end of the room at the man's words, and his eyes snapped to her before the man had even finished speaking. Sigyn, using the metal IV stand as a support, stumbled over to the stone-faced man, until she stood in front of him.

He didn't say anything, just continued to stare at her as she stared at him. She reached up with the hand that was not attached to a tube and gently touched his cheek with her fingertips. The tingle that flowed from her brain, to her heart, and finally to her fingertips caused her to shutter.

Loki raised his own hand, bringing it to rest against hers, a soft smile forming on his lips. If Sigyn hadn't been standing so close she wouldn't have seen it.

"You're awake," was all he said, and Sigyn nodded. "Have someone bring us food," Loki demanded, his eyes flickering to Liz.

"Right away," the woman said before turning, yelling for someone to help her.

Sigyn's compassion for the woman flared and she swore there was a flicker of something in Loki's eyes in acknowledgment. He didn't say another word, just took her hand from his face, gripped it in his, and lead her down a short hallway and into a well-furnished room.

A couch and comfortable looking chairs were in the room, a coffee table in front of them all, a large rug covering the stone floor. There was also a small table with two hairs pressed up against a side wall, a table cloth covering it. It was warm, like the room she had woken in.

"I didn't want you so close to everyone's emotions while you were recovering. The mind is a delicate thing, even while protected. But here, we can eat and talk."

But Sigyn wasn't listening to his words. Instead, through the touch of their hands, she had gently squeezed through the cracks in his mind, feeling gently past the yellow sickness to the part that was protected by the walls she had thrown around his mind while she had been in Between. It was there, in that tiny spot, that Loki's mind shined it's natural green color. Sigyn nurtured it, helping it grow and slowly dissolve the yellow thing that had taken his mind.

Sigyn knew the process would take a long time, but those tiny pieces she had protected had saved the both of them. He had rescued her from the hell she had endured, had given her a reason to keep living. It was her honor, and her duty, to make sure that the man who had saved her had a way back. But, as she was helping that piece of his mind fight the yellow parts, thoughts and brief snippets of memory floated around her, showing her that Loki was involved in something big, something very not good. Something that had the potential to destroy the world if she didn't try to stop it.

Sigyn instinctively jerked away from him as one thought pierced through his mind and into hers. _Destroy._

Sigyn stared at Loki's face for a long moment, watching for that one word to take his mind over, for him to do as ordered and destroy everything in his path. But, as he looked at her, all thoughts of that word, of the things he had been told to do, disappeared.

Sigyn reached forward, gently taking his hand again, not risking going into his mind a second time.

"You are something completely new," Loki said. He studied her, just as she had him.

A knock on the door interrupted the two watching each other, and Liz entered the room once Loki called for her too. She was holding a tray of steaming food, just as the man who entered behind her did.

Sigyn, recognizing his mind immediately, stood from the couch and was as far from the man as she could before for the man had even taken a second step into the room. His mind, like the doctor who had tortured her so happily, was bathed in red. Her instinct to run had come first, after fifty years of fear. But, her will to fight, her anger, and the rage that had been pushed back for just as many years came closer to the front of her mind as she looked at the man that watched her from the doorway.

She felt the power build from within herself, gathering just as it had when she had killed the last man that had that same disgusting red on his mind. She focused on gathering that power, not noticing when the man and Liz sat their trays down on the coffee table in front of the couch and left.

Loki, having felt the power gathering around Sigyn, stood and took her hand gently. "No harm will come to you while I am here."

And suddenly, the rage Sigyn felt was gone. It took several moments for her breathing to calm, for her body to stop shaking, but eventually, the two sat back on the couch and at the food that was waiting for them.

Sigyn ate slowly, old habits of chewing each bite of food twenty times coming back to her, just so she could savor the taste of the food.

Loki didn't say another words as they ate, or after they finished eating. He just sat there with her, letting Sigyn rest her head against his shoulder as she grew tired once more. He gently pushed away the dreams that started to distress her.

They had sat like that for some time before there was another knock on the door. Loki, using his power to open the door from where he sat, invited Liz inside.

Softly, she said, "I think it's time to remove the IV." Liz walked to the pair, lifted Sigyn's tubed hand in hers and started to remove the needle. When she was done, Liz left the room without another word.

As gently as he could, Loki lifted Sigyn, cradling her to his chest as he walked back to the room she had been in only two hours before. He laid her on the bed gently, pulling the sheet than the blanket, tucking her in. He gently ran his fingers down his face before he left the room, closing the door gently behind him.


	14. Adjusting

It was surreal. Everything Sigyn had imagined life would be like after she escaped was wrong, but strangely right. Things had changed, quite drastically. People were the same. The technology was not. It was a shock when she saw how advanced everything had become. She had known that computers were growing more advanced every year, but _this?_ Back before everything, computers with simple functions had been large, bulky. The screens were small and generally unclear.

Now though, these computers were small, people carrying them as they walked around to different pieces of technology. Sigyn saw more than one person use a handheld version. Small, rectangular. She had really missed so much in her time away.

So Sigyn stayed where she was, sitting on the ground, just outside of the large group of people working and talking. She sat with her legs crisscross, her arms resting gently on her thighs as she studied each person with increasing fascination.

These people were smart, geniuses. The words and knowledge that floated through their minds were so complex, so intertwined in other complicated projects, that Sigyn, despite over a hundred years of practice, couldn't understand the intricate emotions.

She watched them for a while, listening closely as each person talked to another, then made changes on a computer or on the metal contraption that was slowly coming together in the plastic room. There was a lot of movement, so many people moving this way and that. Yet Sigyn still felt as if she were the only person in the room. She was untouchable, they couldn't see her. She still wasn't sure if what she was seeing was real, or something she made up after her mind cracked. In all reality, she could be hallucinating.

Sigyn took a deep shaky breath, telling herself that she wasn't alone, that she had been rescued. When that calmed her mind a little, Sigyn threw her consciousness out around her, reaching for a mind, any mind, that wasn't hers. She was met with two dozen minds meeting her own.

She knew it had only been yesterday that she had felt this many people around her, but she had been exhausted, just waking up after having been rescued. But now, she was here, and they were here. All these people. There were so many of them. The emotions started crawling through the cracks of her interior barrier that usually kept her mind her own, left it unchanged by others. It was overwhelming

She slammed her mind shut against everyone in the room, finding the sudden influx of dozens of emotions disorienting. But now she knew. She wasn't alone, they were here with her. But she still felt lonely.

Being around so many people was crushing. She was far from being ready to be around more than a couple of minds with her barriers open, to fight their emotions so they didn't take over her own mind. Sigyn stood, walking quickly to the hallway that led to her room. The way was still confusing twists and turns, but she had found her way out this morning, she could find her way back.

She paused when she heard Loki's voice.

"…concerned about how long she was asleep. What effects would her imprisonment have had on her?"

It was Liz's voice she heard replying. "She could have PTSD, extreme anxiety, depression. She was on her own for a long time without human contact. It could cause attachment issues. There are so many things that she could experience that there is no good answer for what she may feel and act like."

Sigyn had never been particularly shy, even as a young girl. Even now, having little experience with people in the last five decades she found that she wasn't sure about social queues anymore. Because of this, Sigyn didn't care that it was rude to walk into a room where people were in the middle of a conversation. Especially when that conversation was about her.

The room was silent as Sigyn walked into the room and pointedly took a seat in a chair at a table in the middle of the room.

"Go," Loki said to Liz, nodding towards the door. Liz left.

Sigyn watched Loki as he turned and stared at her. "I was only concerned for your wellbeing."

She nodded, giving him a small smile to say that she understood, that she wasn't mad. Loki took a seat at the other side of the table, his eyes never leaving her face.

"I'm happy to have found you."

Sigyn reached her hand across the table, leaving her palm up, waiting for him to take it. He did. Very gently, careful of both her own mind and Loki's fragile infected one, she strengthened the connection between them, pushing the warmth she felt from his concern towards his mind. He gave her a rare smile.

But behind the emotions and thoughts on the surface, Loki's mind was still not completely his own. She hadn't been able to do it before, so now she guided him, his awareness and consciousness, to look at his mind through her perspective. She could feel his reaction, his shock anger, and grief. He studied his mind, just as Sigyn watched the natural green parts fight against the sickly yellow infection.

Very gently, Sigyn reached out to the walls she had thrown around the good part of Loki's mind, infusing her energy in it while gently showing Loki how to add his own. Between both of their powers and strength, and the concentration Sigyn focused on the current problem, they started waging war in Loki's mind.

It took a lot of effort, Sigyn's strength pushing against the sickness as much as she could, and Loki trying to follow her lead. They made little progress, but the amount didn't bother either of them. Sigyn was just happy by the fact that the sickness could be fought off at all.

What felt like hours later, Sigyn jerked back, yanking her hand out of Loki's grasp. The force it took her mind to pull away from his, to completely separate herself from the connection that had formed between them had forced her to physically pull away from him. She was just able to keep herself from falling out of her chair.

There were several moments of silence in which Loki and Sigyn watched each other. Sigyn breathed heavily, trying to organize her mind back to the way it was before she had gone into Loki's mind. Loki just looked stunned.

"It was all true," Loki said, leaning forward, staring into Sigyn's eyes. "I thought I had been making it up. Just before you left, you entered my mind. They had already been trying to hoodwink me. The manipulation they used caused me to hallucinate. I was convinced you were one of them."

Sigyn reached forward again, keeping the walls in her mind up and closed tightly. She moved her hand to gently touch his, then held onto it when he moved his hand to fit in hers. He looked into her eyes, the green bright and alive.

"When I came here and that woman led me to where you were, when I saw what had been done, I came back to myself. I realized you were real. I do not understand what is happening, how you have these powers. You pushed back the control they have over me. You have to save me from myself!"

His blue eyes, naturally blue, not the electric blue Sigyn had seen his eyes turn, stared into hers. His face was vulnerable, open. She had only seen that look on a man's face when they were truly exposed and desperate for help. Sigyn squeezed his hand harder.

He looked down at the table, holding her hand in his like she was the only thing keeping him alive. She couldn't stand the look on his face, or the guilty and self-loathing emotions. So she reached deep into herself, pushing the nervous feelings away, bringing forward the small bit of bravery that lurked far beneath everything that was her.

"L-Loki."

The word came out soft, hesitant, and Sigyn didn't recognize the voice at all. It was completely unfamiliar, just like the way the muscles in her throat moved.

Loki looked up at her, his face still vulnerable, but also surprised.

Sigyn gently cleared her throat, wincing at the feeling, before speaking. "It'll be alright."

He squeezed her hand. Sigyn opened her mouth to speak again, but closed it once she felt the strain on her vocal cords.

"You do not need to speak. You have already done so much for me, I do not know how I will ever repay you."

But Sigyn pulled her strength to the forefront of her mind. She needed to do this. There were things from her past that she had to share. Things that she just couldn't hold in anymore. Maybe Loki wasn't the right person for this. She had only known him for a few days. But her instincts told her she could trust him, that anything she had to say would never be told to another person.

"I-I have to." Sigyn took a deep breath, squeezing his hand tightly, then started her story.

"I was twelve when it started. I didn't know they weren't my emotions at first. After a few weeks, I noticed that the strange feelings always happened around my sister. I was close to her. She was younger than I was, but we never fought. I eventually figured out that I was feeling her emotions. Over time I was able to translate them into something I could understand. Her emotions were so different from mine, almost basic.

"After a while, I noticed I could feel more than just my sister's emotions. I had thought at first It had been because of how close we were. But at school one day, all these emotions just invaded my mind. I didn't understand it, it wasn't anything like I had experienced before." Sigyn paused for a moment, taking a few deep breaths before moving on.

"I was able to get my mind under control. I taught myself how to protect my mind, how to build walls. Once I could do that, I became curious about how other people's emotions felt. I was seventeen when I realized I could manipulate emotions. It was an accident that I found out, but I started practicing, finding the right technique.

"And then, just after my eighteenth birthday, my mother died." Sigyn paused again, taking a deep breath as the memories of that day washed over her once more. Her voice was a whisper when she spoke again. "I took her pain away in the last moments she lived."

Sigyn stopped, allowing herself to gain courage and be ready to move on to the next part. Loki watched her, trying to radiate calm feelings, but Sigyn's mind was to well protected for even a sliver to get in. She didn't even realize that he was trying to help in that way.

"Things were bad after that. My father locked himself in his study. When I finally confronted him he had a gun. He shot me. _He shot me_." Sigyn's eyes were stinging with tears now, and she looked down at the table. She followed the grain of the wood with her eyes, watching as it swirled and ran the length of the table. She could see tiny drops of tears gathering just beneath her chin, saturating the uncoated wood. "He shot me, then he shot himself. I thought I was going to die. There was so much blood, and I just lay there, waiting, begging, for someone to find me.

"Turns out the neighbor had heard the gunshots and had called for the constables. They found me there. I recovered very quickly, surprising everyone but myself. I could feel other people's emotions, could expel energy from my body in extreme situations. Why shouldn't I heal quickly?

"It was years later when I noticed I wasn't aging. I knew I was starting to run out of time. My brother had just graduated from college, my sister had been married and had children. They had moved on, could support themselves, so I did what I had to do and moved away, hiding behind a false identity to protect myself. I had to do that several times. And then my family was gone, and I still looked as young and healthy as ever."

Sigyn took a shuddering breath, preparing herself for what was the worst part of the story.

"Fifty years ago, I was walking down the street, on my way home from a late night at work. I heard shouting, so I did what any good person would have. I went to see what was going on and put myself in between a gun and a child. I wasn't able to save the child or his mother, and I was hurt badly.

"When I woke up, one of my friends was there. He was someone I trusted beyond anyone else. I had told him a little bit about what had happened to me, leaving it vague enough for him to fill the blanks in with his own mind. But he had seen me do some amazing things, impossible things. And now I had survived a gunshot through my abdomen. Something that should have killed me.

"He was scared. Instead of talking to me about it, he went to the doctors, then to the police when they didn't believe him. I was thankful that no one could see the truth in what he said. I was already so heartbroken. Someone I had thought I could trust beyond any other had sold me out. He left me there in the hospital. No family that knew I was shot, no friends.

"I thought I was safe. So, I stayed where I was, kept my identity. But it wasn't long after when they found me. I don't think they knew what I could do, they just knew I was different, that there was something unnatural about me. They shoved me into a van and drove off.

"And then...then-,"

Sigyn couldn't continue. Telling that part of her story to Loki had been hard with those old memories rolling around in her head. But the new memories, the fresh ones that hadn't had time to lose the sharp edges, ripped at her mind.

Before Sigyn knew it, she was sobbing, her hand no longer in his as she propped her elbows on the table and sobbed into her hands. She felt arms around her and that scent of cold air and the nameless scent intermingled with it. Slowly, she turned and wrapped her arms around Loki and sobbed into his chest.

Sigyn cried for a long while, and eventually, her tears stopped. Loki stood, whispering gently. "Come on. This is only your first full day out of that place. We'll get some food then you can rest."

Very gently, Loki guided Sigyn to a quickly put together kitchen. When they had both finished their meal, Loki took Sigyn's hands and led her back to the room she had woken in before. He stayed with her, sitting in that chair next to her bed until she was asleep.

* * *

Sigyn's mind was still raw when she woke the next morning. Still raw, but she could feel the traces of healing, of finally being able to examine and accept what had happened to her fifty years before. She lay in bed for a long while, forcing herself to think normal thoughts. Not thoughts of how she would get through the day, of how she would survive long enough to be able to leave her cell.

No, now she had time to remember the faces of her family, the many friends she had gained over the 120 years she had wandered through the world, looking for a place she could stay safe for a few years. But the last friends she had would be fifty years older now. They would have had children, grandchildren by now. She was just a memory to them, a mystery that had never been solved.

And Thomas had been one of her dearest friends. She had trusted him enough to be herself, to show him that she was different. But he betrayed her.

But there were others. Linda had probably looked for her when she disappeared. Her coworkers at the small doctor's office that employed her must have wondered where she went. People must have worried about her, been curious as to what had happened.

But did it matter now? They had moved on, no doubt in Sigyn's mind. She would have had to do the same. She would miss her friends, mourn for them, but she would have moved on, exactly like she had done a dozen times before when she had to leave her friends to keep herself safe.

So, after a time of thought, and allowing herself to feel saddened at the loss of her friends, she stood and dressed in the clothes that had been provided for her. She was happy to see that the clothes were simple, just as they had been yesterday. Pants, a loose shirt, and the same shoes she had worn the day before.

Sigyn wandered through the damp halls, no place in mind, just happy to be able to move freely through a place without guards, without being watched, without the threat of pain. She eventually found her way to the room in which the kitchen had been pieced.

"Ah!" exclaimed a man the Sigyn vaguely remembered seeing the night before. "Have a seat my dear! I have special instructions from Loki to serve you the best meal possible! It'll be a little bit of time before it is ready."

Sigyn just stared at the man for a moment, watching as he quickly went to the refrigerator and started gathering various ingredients. She touched his mind briefly, finding that he wasn't being controlled, and that he actually enjoyed cooking for her.

Sigyn sat at the table and watched the man as he worked. Sigyn was unsurprised that Liz appeared in the doorway of the room sometime later. She suspected Loki had asked, or commanded seeing as how Liz was under his control, to keep an eye on her, to make sure Sigyn was doing okay and coping with everything going on.

Loki needed not have worried so much. In her life, Sigyn had coped with many things. She knew how to take new information from a new place and adapt to it. Given that her memories were rather terrible, it might take much longer than usual, however.

But it wasn't Liz's presence that surprised her, it was the book in her hand. Sigyn just had a glimpse of the cover, but it was the next book in the series that she had been reading while she was still stuck in her cell.

Sigyn reached for it, her right hand leaving the table to stretch out towards the book. She could see Liz smile at her as she walked closer and handed the book to Sigyn. The smile was large and genuine when Sigyn's eyes lifted to Liz's face.

"You..." The word slipped from Sigyn's mouth without a thought, something that surprised her. She had thought that she would need time to speak to anyone except Loki. Yet something about Liz, it is the emotions that emanated from her or the book she had brought, made Sigyn trust her.

Liz's smile didn't falter. "They put me in charge of watching you while you were locked up. I thought some material items would do you some good."

Suddenly, Sigyn stood, her chair teetering and almost falling to the ground as she rushed towards Liz and threw her arms around her. The human contact was exactly what Sigyn was craving, though she hadn't known it. Some barrier released in Sigyn, and silent tears started falling down her cheeks. She felt herself let go of what had happened to her. She held onto the woman that had made her life better by supplying her with basic items.

"Thank you," Sigyn said, squeezing Liz tightly, and holding onto her.

They stayed that way for some time until the smell of cooking meat cause Sigyn to let go and look towards the cook. He smiled when he saw that she was staring at him.

"There will be enough for two," the man said, his eyes flicking to Liz. Sigyn sat back in her seat, her eyes moving to the cook, the plates of food he was putting together, and Liz, who was now sitting across from her. Sigyn clutched the book to her chest, holding onto it much like she had when the first one had appeared in her food cubby.

When the cook finally sat two plates of food in front of them, Sigyn didn't hesitate to pick up a fork from the plate and eating the mashed potatoes. Once those were gone, she moved to the steak. She took the knife and cut it into pieces she could manage before scarfing it down so quickly she barely enjoyed the taste.

She looked around when she was done, noticing that the cook was now gone, the heavy door to the make-shift kitchen closed, and Liz still eating her steak, but observing Sigyn at the same time.

Sigyn decided to ask the most pressing question on her mind. "How much do you know?"

"Almost everything from the past fifty years." Liz took another bite of the steak before continuing. "When I was assigned to you, I only knew that you were one of the best-kept secrets in the facility. It took me months to dig through file after file to find your records. I had to hack past a firewall just to access it. I know exactly what they did to you, how they hurt you. I know you killed Doctor Barrett." Sigyn flinched at the name. Liz looked at her more intently. "I don't know how you did it, but I don't blame you. After what that man did to you, I would have killed him too."

Liz had finished eating before Sigyn spoke again. "I know you're under his control, but thank you for what you did before, for your help. Thank you for telling me what you did."

"I may be under his control, but I'm still myself, I have my own thoughts. You make him different. When I took him down to help you escape he was different. He lost his control on us. However you know him, whatever you're doing to change him, keep it up."


	15. I don't want to be feared

Several days after Sigyn's rescue found Loki and Sigyn sitting in a small room, on a couch, hands held tightly together. They were turned to face each other, their eyes closed, their faces screwed up in concentration as they battled back the invasion in Loki's mind.

They had done this every day since Sigyn had first awoken, making slow progress, but she could tell the difference. Compared to before, in which only a small sliver of Loki's mind was free to be his own, almost a quarter of it had been freed.

But Sigyn could tell that Loki was getting frustrated with the apparent lack of real progress and Sigyn had been quick to tell him that the improvement was something that he couldn't see, only something that she could feel. He acted as if that answer wasn't good enough for him, that he wanted more advancement, but Sigyn could always feel that Loki was pleased that they were making any progress at all. He never said, but Sigyn always knew that he was grateful for her help.

Sigyn and Loki's faces relaxed, and their eyes opened. Sigyn smiled at him, the biggest smile her face had shown since she had been imprisoned all those years ago.

"Good progress today," she told Loki as he stared into her green eyes.

"I could feel it today. I feel the difference."

"That's a good sign."

Sigyn dropped one of Loki's hands so she could lay back on the couch, her head on the armrest, her legs still dangling off the side. She closed her eyes once more, taking a deep breath and allowing her mind to wander and relax.

It wasn't unusual for Sigyn to be drained after helping Loki. It always tended to take her entire concentration and large amounts of energy for Sigyn to be able to reach into another's mind and use her powers, which were buried far beneath the surface of her own conciseness. Usually, Sigyn would find her way back to her bedroom and give herself a few hours of sleep, but she couldn't pull herself out of the state her mind was in.

That moment was the first time she had felt strong enough to let her outside barriers down and just _feel._ Before, when she had opened her mind, the emotions of the other people had overwhelmed her. But now, she was strong enough. She may have been tired from helping Loki, but she had rarely felt so strong.

She sent her mind wandering, feeling Loki close, Liz not far off and ready to step in to do as ordered or follow Sigyn to make sure she needed for nothing. Beyond Liz was the large group of people working on the machinery. She could feel over a dozen of them there, half of them under mind control and the others inspired by their own curiosity and drive for knowledge.

There was a familiar mind, one she had encountered before being rescued. Her memories from before that were muddled, however, and she couldn't pinpoint exactly why that mind was familiar. Instead of focusing on it, Sigyn allowed her mind to drift, not only through the emotions and minds that she found familiar, but also through the emotions that were strange to her. She entered a state of calm, of euphoria and completeness that she hadn't experienced in almost six decades. She was there, detached and free, letting emotions that didn't belong to her wash over her mind.

She was drawn to one person, one more complicated than the others. The emotions where churning, unrested, chaotic. She reached out to it, finding that there was already a small string connecting her mind to the other. She followed that string as it sparked, as it grew and became a shining gold thread.

That thread led her deep into the mind, into complex emotions she had never experienced except within herself. These emotions were deep, threaded right to the very core of who that person was. There were so many unhappy memories. Grief, betrayal, dejection, uselessness, resentment. But there was love there as well, for a mother, a brother. And there was a girl surrounded not in love, but curiosity, respect, and tenderness.

Sigyn gently caressed the inside of the mind, intending to soothe the person. She was surprised when the mind reached into her, just as she had reached into it. It scared her, to have this mind in her own, so close, so intimate. Sigyn acted on instinct and brought her barriers up, slamming the connection closed and effectively blocking the other mind out. But that thread was still there, gold and shining more than before.

Sigyn opened her eyes, sitting up, wiping the sweat that had gathered on her forehead at the sudden surprise and burst of adrenaline. She noticed Loki looking at her with pain and surprise, his hand gripping hers tightly.

"You were in my mind," he said, his voice soft and in awe. He looked down at their connected hands and Sigyn finally realized what had happened.

That little gold thread had connected her mind to Loki's! It was no wonder she didn't immediately bulk at her mind entering another's so closely. Never before had she experienced it, never before had she felt so close to someone, like she could absolutely trust them with every secret that she held close to her chest.

But how had that little thread formed? What had caused the connection between their minds to become so desperate that they would make this connection? For once, Sigyn didn't even have an inkling of a clue. She had never experienced this before, had never encountered someone who had the same abilities as she did. There was no way she could ever have known how to create the bond in the first place. She had never known it was a possibility.

"I don't know how it happened," Sigyn said desperately once she realized that Loki was still watching her. From her own experience, she knew someone entering a mind without permission was never a pleasant feeling. The sudden memory of that horrid doctor's mind infecting her own flashes across her vision. Sigyn pushed it away before she could dwell on it.

"I do." Loki's voice was soft, and his face lost the surprised look. Instead, he looked thoughtful. "When you last visited me, I could tell you were close to death. You had frightened me terribly and I surprised myself by showing great strength in summoning a small amount of power. I thought I had only temporarily bound your life force to mine. I guess I did not disconnect that bond as entirely as I thought." He stopped there, and Sigyn could almost see the gears turning in his head, just as her thoughts were spinning.

She investigated her mind, searching for the spot in which the golden thread originated from. She found it deep, behind her memories, her thoughts, her deepest secrets, her worst and happiest memories. That would explain why she hadn't felt the connection before. Even though it felt much longer, it had only been ten days since that bond had been formed. She was still recovering and hadn't had the time to look so deep, especially since she wasn't ready to face many of those memories.

It was an intense connection and had already embedded itself deep into the core of her turquoise mind. Roots had sprung out, wrapping through other areas, her memories, the core beliefs she held to, her thoughts, already growing and becoming a connection that she couldn't remove.

"The bond runs deep," Sigyn said, taking a deep breath and slowly bringing herself back to her body. "I don't think that I could unravel it, even if I wanted to."

Sigyn opened her eyes to find Loki watching her intently, their faces now very close. He spoke very softly. "You don't wish to remove it?"

Sigyn smiled at him. "From what I can tell, that connection saved my life. And I am still much too weak to try and remove it." Sigyn paused and couldn't help but smirk at what she said next. "By the time I'm strong enough, it will probably be too entwined to remove anyway."

She felt a thrill as Loki grinned back at her.

Loki stood, standing in front of Sigyn as he gently pulled at their still entwined hands to guide her upwards. They stood facing each other, Sigyn's eyes full of curiosity as Loki studied her, taking in every detail that he possibly could.

"You are quite the mystery," Loki whispered to her. Sigyn blinked in shock, not expecting him to say that while watching her so intently. "You have the ability to feel and manipulate emotions, much like I can do, only you are so much more powerful. I can only suggest emotions or encourage certain reactions. I cannot force any emotion on someone. But, from what some of the agents have told me, you are very accomplished. Even just a few moments ago, when you had entered my mind, I could feel the energy radiate off you. In this room, I could feel the force of your will clamp down, churning and powerful. Have you ever used that particular gift before?"

Sigyn, her mouth slightly agape as she listened to Loki talk, her eyes wide, listened to every word he said. "You truly have these powers too?"

Loki gave a slight smile, gently nodding his head. "They are not the same as yours." Loki spread his arms wide, backing away from Sigyn and the couch. "For instance. I find that I can be in multiple places at once."

Sigyn was startled to see three Lokis appear beside the original. Sigyn took a step back, bumping into the couch. Sigyn sucked in a deep breath, her face awestruck as she studied each Loki in turn.

"I can also disappear..." his last words faded as the four Loki's all vanished from sight. "It is not that I am truly gone, but instead manipulate your mind into believing I am not there." Loki's voice floated around the room, but Sigyn could still feel his mind, his emotions, and the now obvious bond that flared between them. In three heartbeats Sigyn looked behind the couch where she knew Loki to be standing. He flickered back into view, a small amused smirk on his face. "I can only do that when I'm not distracted."

Sigyn just raised her eyebrows at him, silently considering that her attention on him had caused him to lose concentration enough to reappear. She let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding before speaking to him again. "I can't do any of those things."

Loki nodded, taking several steps towards her, the couch still separating them. "Both of our powers come from the mind, but in very different ways. Mine is all about deceiving people, causing chaos. Yours is emotional, something tender to hold close. They are not the same, but they share similarities. Our power, our strength, comes from our minds. The strength in which our powers have are determined by how strong-willed we are, how much we want something to happen.

"And you have only just discovered the surface of your abilities. The power you hold to create such presence, to draw the raw energy around you and force it to your will, is something to be feared indeed."

At those last words, Sigyn's face fell into something that could only be described as sorrow, her eyes lowering to study the fabric of the couch she had been sitting on moments ago. She saw the stitches, the way they intertwined, and the seams that held them together.

She knew exactly the power he was speaking of. The first time she had ever known it existed was the first time she had used it. That had been just after her mother had died. She had run off into the woods, away from the city, from the people she loved, because she could feel it building inside her, around her, in every room she walked through. She knew the release of that power wasn't going to be anything good. And it hadn't been. The energy she expelled hadn't been very strong, only enough to push the snow away from her in every direction. But she had been so afraid of it. She didn't know what that power could do if she could even control it. When she had felt it building again throughout her lifetime, she found other ways to vent her energy. She had joined several classes, self-defense, meditation, and calming movements from a man that had studied from the Yoga-Sutra. It had worked well for her.

And then the power came back in full force not long ago, while stuck in a room with that man. She remembered very clearly the feel of the restraints on her body, and the absolute _hate_ she had for the man who had personally seen that she was tortured. She called that power to her in a mess of pain, confusion, rage, and revenge. And then she had killed that doctor with it.

She knew she had done the right thing. She had wanted that man gone from her life, never to cause her, or anyone else for that matter, pain again. She was happy he was gone, but the uncontrollable nature of it scared her. She could call on that power again, could feel it just beneath her skin, crawling to be released. She couldn't let that happen, couldn't let it control her and hurt an innocent.

"I don't want to be feared," she whispered almost silently.

"Then don't use your powers to be feared, use them to protect yourself."

Sigyn looked up, hope in her eyes. Could she really use this power, the one she had always known about but was never able to harness, to protect herself? If she could learn how, she might never be put in a situation where she would be trapped for decades again. She was free now, but did that mean she would stay out of the clutches of the place that had her in the first place?

"Could you teach me?"

This time, Loki's smile was large, genuine. "Oh, I would be happy to."

Sigyn's face turned into a giant smile of her own as she beamed at him. "But not today," he continued after a moment, pausing to watch her face fall. "You and I have both already strained our minds enough for the day. We can begin when we are both at full strength."

"But if practicing will strain us, how will we-," Sigyn began, only to be gently interrupted by Loki.

"I will continue the fight in my mind on my own for now. We have already made significant improvements." He stopped, and Sigyn opened her mouth. He continued before she said anything. "And, I will allow you to check to be sure I'm not losing any ground."

Sigyn gave him a small grin, not surprised he had guessed what she would say.

"Now," Loki said, raising his hand and pointing at the door. "I do believe it is time for the mid-day meal."

Sigyn nodded, then opened her mouth before either of them moved. "I have a request." At Loki's nod, she continued. "Before I was- before everything, I had several close friends." Sigyn stumbled over the words, unsure of the right words to describe what had happened to her. "I know I can't meet them and I know it has been so long, but I never got a chance to say goodbye. I would like to see their faces one last time, see their children and grandchildren. I think I need that closure to be able to focus on learning about these other abilities I have."

She looked at Loki hopefully, lowering her chin and looking at him through her eyelashes unconsciously.

Loki didn't hesitate. It almost seemed as if he had been expecting the request. He only nodded once, a slight look of understanding in his eyes. "Tell the girl outside the last information you knew about them, she is resourceful and should be able to find them for you."


	16. Old Friend

_The hardest part about moving every seven years was coming up with new names and histories. She couldn't just waltz into town and find a job without having something to back her up. Her first step was finding someone who could forge those documents that would look real and convince anyone who asked any serious questions that she was who she said she was. She didn't want any suspicion raised when she went to look for a job, or if she was to somehow become involved in law enforcement for one reason or another._

 _Picking a name was the hardest. Once, she had just pulled a name out of the census, picking the first one she saw. That hadn't been a good idea. At the beginning, she had a hard time answering to that name. Whenever someone would call for her attention it would take multiple tries. After that, she had been more careful. She picked names that meant something to her, one that she would easily answer to._

 _Each name had become more unique as time went on. It was never enough to spark too much interest in those around her, but they were unusual enough that no one else would have the same name._

 _Eura, her first name, given to her by the people that had raised her._

 _Nancy had been her next name, chosen because of its popularity and desire for her to fit into the world._

 _Melvina, or Vina to her friends, wasn't as popular of a name, but it was common enough not to be questioned._

 _Elizabeth, the name she had pulled out of the Census and had a hard time living by._

 _Luvenia, in which she finally felt safe enough to not look behind her back every step she took. It was also her first identity in America_

 _Nova, in which she became interested in space, stars, and the changes in which the universe was going through._

 _Ruby, when she let the color of her hair rule the name she chose for herself._

 _Charlotte, the name she had the longest after moving from England to America._

 _Astera, because it sounded cool._

 _Victoria, simply because a dear friend once said she looked like that could be her name._

 _Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. After over one hundred years of life, what name could be more fitting?_

 _Freesia because flowers were always so beautiful._

 _Meng, because she needed to leave the country._

 _Dawn, because she was finally able to return to America._

 _Sigyn had been picked after she had become interested in Norse mythology. This would be the last name she would give herself._

 _So many lives, so many names, and so many friends. By the time she had taken the name Meng, she had become weary of having to leave everything she knew behind. When she had picked Sigyn, she was ready to give up on life._

* * *

Sigyn watched in fascination as Liz's figures flew across the keyboard, looking through records and public files to find the information that Sigyn had requested. She studied the way Liz typed, how she pulled the information she wanted onto the screen and made the information she didn't want to disappear. Sigyn, standing behind Liz's chair as she sat at a table, couldn't help but be amazed.

Before everything, before Sigyn had been taken from the world, computers were only just starting to become something that large companies would have bought. The technological advances that had been in the time she was captured was amazing. Sigyn needed to catch up on technology if she wanted to be successful in this new world.

"There!" Liz suddenly exclaimed. Sigyn was slightly taken aback by the sudden burst, but quickly leaned forward as a photo appeared on the screen.

There was a family, mother, father, and two children. Sigyn's eyes raked over the photo, looking first to the mother who she recognized instantly. It was Barbara. Sigyn, Thomas, and Barbara had started as coworkers in the same office. Barbara had been a secretary, Sigyn an assistant to one of the Lawyers, and Thomas had been studying under the firm as he was in his last year of school. The three of them had become fast friends that had lasted until Sigyn disappeared.

Sigyn's eyes darted to the man's face, surprise causing her eyebrows to raise and eyes to widen. "So, she did marry him."

David had been Barbara's long time boyfriend. Barbara had told Sigyn on several occasions that she didn't think David would ever propose. The last that Sigyn had known, Barbara had been considering breaking it off with David and finding someone else because she wasn't getting any younger.

Sigyn looked at the children next, a boy and a girl who looked as if they had inherited their mother's dark hair. They couldn't have been any older than six, though they looked close in age. Sigyn's eyes caught the caption at the bottom of the picture.

" _Mr. and Mrs. Carson, and their two children, Daniel (6) and Mary (5) celebrate as Mr. Carson becomes CEO of Griffon Electronics."_

"Their current residence is listed in a small town about a two-hour drive from here." Liz turned to Sigyn, watching the other woman as she continued to stare at the picture of her friend. "Should we leave now?"

"Yes," was Sigyn's simple answer.

"I'll get the team ready." Liz jumped up from her seat at the table and started calling for other agents. "Gareld, get the car ready, Woods, I need you armed and geared up in five minutes, we're taking a trip!"

Liz's voice faded as she walked down the hall. Sigyn turned from the photo on the screen and walked down the hall to the room she had been sleeping in. Despite the comfort of the sweatshirt and leggings Sigyn was wearing, she felt that she needed to dress a little less casual if she were to see her friend again. Sigyn knew that she couldn't talk to Barbara, that it would bring up questions that couldn't be answered for everyone's safety.

But Sigyn wanted to see her, maybe her children or her grandchildren as well. She wanted to know that the friend she had left unwillingly behind was alright, and that she had lived a full life.

She changed quickly, pulling on some jeans and a navy blouse under a grey sweater, and sat on her bed after finding the pen and notepad she had used before. Sigyn wasn't sure how to start the letter, but once she started writing she found that she just couldn't stop. She wrote quickly, letting her thoughts and feelings flow through her hand. When she finished, Sigyn reread the letter, finding that she had somehow put everything she had wanted to say on that one piece of paper. She folded the paper before pushing it into her pocket and left her room to find Loki.

He had said that she could come and go as she please as long as she took Liz, but Sigyn wanted to find him before she left. Over the past several days, their connection had grown stronger and Sigyn couldn't resist the need to be around him. Something about Loki made her want to draw closer, to get to know him, to push past that rough and sad exterior to reach the man beneath.

There was so much going on in his mind, more than Sigyn would have been able to handle so she never pushed him. She sought him out, but she could tell when he wanted to be alone and when he didn't mind her presence. She didn't need his permission, but she owed him the courtesy of knowing that she would be leaving.

She found him in the main room, observing the progress of the metal contraption that was being pieced together. Loki was sitting on the floor, his legs crossed slightly as he held his scepter in one hand.

"I have been informed that you are going to visit an old friend." Loki didn't look at her as he said it, his eyes just following each person that walked past.

"Yes," Sigyn said simply, standing beside him and watching the others as well. She wasn't all that surprised that Liz had already told him where they were going. "Will you come?"

"I'm afraid not." He paused for a moment, looking up at Sigyn as she turned her head to stare down at him. "I have other plans to attend to."

Sigyn nodded, turning back to look down the aisle of machines. She was disappointed. This trip was going to be rough on her, and while she was prepared, she wished he would come so she could have a little extra support. But Sigyn also understood. While the progress they had made on his mind was good, he still wasn't able to resist the control. The goal he had been set to achieve still pressed on him. He could ignore the little things like killing everyone who wasn't helping him, but there was still the main target.

Sigyn gently laid a hand on his shoulder, her voice serious as she asked, "Will you be okay with me gone?"

Loki turned his head to look at her again, his face surprised and almost grateful. Sigyn only saw it for a second before that blank mask wiped his expression away.

"I'll be fine." His voice was harsh, cold. But Sigyn could feel that he was actually very appreciative of her concern.

Liz approached the pair, turning her eyes to Sigyn. "We're all set, the car is waiting."

Sigyn nodded, following Liz as she started toward the car.

"I expect her back unharmed." Loki's voice caused Liz and Sigyn to pause and glance back at him. His face was still blank, but he was glaring at Liz.

At his words, Liz stood straighter, blue flashing through her eyes. "Understood."

Liz and Sigyn weaved their way out of the main room, up several flights of stairs before finally coming to a door. Liz opened it and Sigyn stopped, her focus on the rays of light that entered the doorway.

Sigyn took a step outside the door, turning her face up towards the sky as the sun started to warm her skin. It had been so long since Sigyn had seen sunlight and felt it warm her. She had fantasized and tried to remember what that warmth had felt like while she had been stuck in all those cells with artificial light. It was an absolutely wonderful feeling to be able to experience it again.

The car was waiting just a few feet from the door, a driver and another man sitting in the passenger seat. Liz opened the back door, climbing in and gestured for Sigyn to follow. Sigyn climbed in, closing the door behind her. The car turned on the road and Sigyn settled down for a long drive.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sigyn saw the small rectangular computer Liz was smiling at. Sigyn had overheard someone call the small thing a phone, but she had yet to see anyone dial a phone number and talk to someone.

"How do those things work?" Sigyn asked, pointing towards Liz's phone.

"Oh, well it's like a small computer. There's a lot it can do. Here, let me show you."

Liz moved over to sit closer to Sigyn as she started showing her the basic functions of the phone.

For the entire ride, Sigyn watched and focused on learning how Liz used the phone. After she thought she knew the basics, she asked Liz if she could try it on her own, hoping to distract herself from the uncomfortable feeling in her mind. She was concerned by the way her mind seemed to stretch and pull, tugging her back. The sensation became stronger the farther the drive went, and while still watching the phone screen, she dipped into her mind, looking for the source.

It was the bond that connected Loki and Sigyn. She could see the bond churning, flexing, as if being pulled. It tightened with each passing second stretching until Sigyn wasn't sure it would stretch much more. Would the bond break? The only thing that had changed since she last saw Loki was the fact that she had been driven away from him. Was it the distance? Is that what was causing the strain on their bond?

When the car finally entered a small town, Sigyn felt as if she had been moderately successful in learning how that particular piece of technology worked. She couldn't do the fancy things she had seen Liz accomplish on it, but a basic understanding was always a good start. She was also happy to note that once the car slowed, the bond she shared with Loki did not grow tighter. The only explanation for that uncomfortable stretch could be the distance that was now between them.

Sigyn handed the phone back to Liz, then looked out the window. They were parked in front of a house, two stories, a large porch, and windows that interrupted the white panels of siding. A flower garden ran along the walls of the house with decorative ornaments and a few birdbaths sitting in strategic places.

"This is her house?" The words were quiet out of Sigyn's mouth, but Liz still heard her.

"This is it."

Sigyn stepped out of the car and onto the sidewalk, looking around. The house was situated in a neighborhood, full of homes that looked similar to the one she now stood in front of. After a moment, Sigyn took a step on the walkway that led to the front door of the house. When she reached the door, Sigyn pressed a finger to the doorbell and heard a faint chime as it echoed throughout the house. She waited a moment before casting her mind out, probing the rooms to see if there was anyone there.

There was someone there, younger than she would have expected, and the mind certainly didn't feel like Barbara's. Sigyn wasn't surprised. Most likely it was a child of Barbara's or even a visitor. The mind grew closer and finally on the other side of the door.

The door swung open revealing a woman of middle age, a duster in one hand. She had dark hair that reminded Sigyn so much of Barbara's, and her eyes were almost the same shade as well. The facial features were far different than her old friends, but not all children looked like one, or even both, of their parents.

The woman's eyes swept over Sigyn, then Liz who stood just past the steps to the porch. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for Barbara Carson."

"Oh, well, she isn't here. She took the kids to the park. Can I have you call her? Maybe take a message?"

Sigyn gave a faint smile as she shook her head. "No, today is the only day I will be in town. Which park would she be at?"

The woman opened the door a little wider, taking a small step to show the front room of the house. "There's only one park in town. Would you like to come in and wait for her?"

"No," said Sigyn faintly. "I couldn't impose on your hospitality. Thank you. But, would you give this to her?" Sigyn took the letter from her pocket and handed it to the woman. With another small smile, Sigyn turned and passed Liz to walk back to the car. She stopped when the woman called out.

"Wait! I'll tell her you stopped by! What was your name?"

Sigyn looked over her shoulder and simply said, "I'm just an old friend," before walking the rest of the way back to the car.

Liz wasn't far behind her. "To the park?" Liz asked as soon as her door was shut.

"To the park."

It wasn't a long drive, but Sigyn spent that time looking out the window as houses passed by slowly. They reached the center of town where almost every business was on the main strip of road before turning down a different road. The park was small, a playground for children, a basketball court, a large green patch of grass in which some kids were throwing a frisbee.

The driver parked the car in the small lot, and Sigyn got out and studied the area. There, on a bench next to the playground, was Barbara. She was older, fifty years had passed after all, but she still looked like herself. Her hair was white now, her skin wrinkled, her eyes old, but her stature and demeanor were the same. She had grown older, but Barbara was still the same person Sigyn had known.

Sigyn didn't approach her and instead took a seat on an empty bench adjacent to the one Barbara occupied. She watched the children play, then looked at her old friend for a few moments, studying her without gaining attention. Barbara looked happy, content, as she watched the children play as well.

Sigyn watched the group of children more closely, picking out the two that looked most similar to Barbara. She smiled to herself, happy to see children playing, laughing. In a world that had been hell for almost a lifetime, Sigyn was happy to hear the sound of children, of birds, of people being happy. She could feel the soft touch of the wind as it gently pulled her hair, and the sunlight as it graced her skin with its warmth. She closed her eyes, reveling in the small pocket of peace that surrounded her.

She was pulled out of the moment when a woman's voice sounded close. "Sigyn?"

Sigyn's eyes flashed open, her body jerking in recognition as her eyes landed on the woman that now stood in front of her. Barbara.

Barbara gasped, looking directly into Sigyn's eyes. "It can't be. It's impossible."

Sigyn didn't react to the whispered words, just watched her old friend as she struggled to understand how Sigyn could be in front of her.

"Hello, Barbara," Sigyn finally spoke, her voice soft.

Barbara took a step back, her face confused, sad, angry. "How do you know my name?"

Sigyn looked down to her fingers, twined in her lap, a sad smile on her lips. "You already know that, old friend."

Barbara didn't answer, just stood there for a moment before sitting down next to Sigyn.

"So, you married Derrick Carson." Sigyn knew it was a statement, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. She couldn't ignore Barbara, but she didn't want to answer any hard questions.

"You disappeared."

Sigyn sighed, closing her eyes as unwanted memories surfaced. She pushed them down, now not being the time to re-live those.

"I did."

"You didn't say goodbye."

Sigyn closed her eyes once more, memories of the last time she had seen Barbara flashing through her mind. "I couldn't."

"Couldn't, or just didn't want to?"

Sigyn's eyes snapped open, her gaze landing instantly on Barbara's face. When her voice came out it was harsh, much colder than Barbara's had been. "I wasn't given the choice."

There was a heavy silence between the two for some time. Barbara finally spoke again. "Where were you?"

"I don't know."

"Why do you look the same as you did when I met you fifty-six years ago?"

"I don't know the answer to that either."

"Why didn't you come to see me sooner?"

At those words, Sigyn couldn't hold back her frustration at her friend, or the anger she had towards the people who had kept her imprisoned. Those emotions came out in a sharp but small whisper. "Because this is the first time I've seen sunlight since I was abducted!"

At Barbara's sharp intake of breath, Sigyn closed her eyes again, breathing deeply and pulling her emotions back into herself.

"My life has always been complicated. I've had over a dozen different names, a dozen different lives. I've lived and died and was reborn, but you made me want to stay. I was going to tell you, I was so tired of hiding." Sigyn looked at Barbara again. "I'm so sorry."

"I was so worried about you, everyone but Thomas. He didn't seem to care that you had gone missing. I always wondered what happened to you. I thought you had to have been murdered. You wouldn't have just disappeared. But no one could find answers. You were just gone."

Sigyn nodded, then stood, knowing that her time here was ending, that the fact she had talked to Barbara at all was a miracle. From her pocket, Sigyn drew out the letter she had written so quickly earlier that day.

"I can't explain everything, it would put you in danger if you knew. I left a letter for you with your daughter. It won't explain everything either, but I hope it will help. I have to go, Barbara. I never meant to speak to you, I only wanted to know that you were happy, that you had a good life."

Sigyn saw tears gathering in her friend's eyes, and with her mind, she reached out and soothed Barbara's emotions. The fear, guilt, and sadness had consumed the forefront of her mind. But farther down, Sigyn could tell that her friend was happy, happy with her life, happy with knowing that Sigyn hadn't just disappeared without saying goodbye. Sigyn pulled that happiness to the surface of Barbara's mind, making the sadness and guilt feel old, the wound that Sigyn's disappearance had caused healing and scarring over.

Tears slipped down Barbara's face as she asked, "Will you say goodbye this time?"

Sigyn smiled, both happy and sad to see her friend. "You won't see me again if you're lucky. You'll be okay, and so will your family." Sigyn withdrew her mind completely from Barbara's emotions, backing away a few steps as she did. "Goodbye, old friend."

Sigyn turned her back on her friend, walking away with smooth steps. "Goodbye, Sigyn."

* * *

Several days later, Barbara Carson received a call from a friend, a call that was becoming more and more common. Her friend told her that Thomas Robert had died. So, Barbara sat down at her computer to find Thomas Robert's obituary. She didn't expect to find over a dozen articles that read "Thomas Robert Found Brutally Murdered!" and "Lawyer Thomas Robert Murdered! Police say no Leads."

Barbara clicked on the first article by a newspaper she knew to be reputable, and started reading.

"When Thomas Robert woke Saturday morning he didn't expect to be murdered. His wife had gone out that morning to start preparing for a family reunion and when she returned she found her husband, dead and brutally beaten.

"According to the Police department, preliminary reports say that not only was Robert beaten, but stabbed repeatably. Based on these reports, the medical examiner has concluded that while each injury would have killed Robert eventually, none of them would have caused death immediately. It seems that whoever broke into Robert's house was intending to torture the man before finally killing him.

"Despite the crime, police have found no evidence of who it could have been. In a short briefing this afternoon, police chief Gonzolos said, 'We are working on finding evidence. As soon as we have something we will hunt down the perpetrator. We will continue to update the public on this crime as more evidence comes to light.'"

Barbara and the rest of the world didn't know that no evidence would ever be found. Not one fingerprint, hair, or fiber would lead investigators to arrest a suspect. Only two people knew who had killed Thomas Robert, one being the victim himself, and the other who wouldn't tell another soul that he had gotten revenge for the woman who had saved him.


	17. Training

When Sigyn had returned to that underground base, she had immediately proceeded to her room, shut the door, and fallen on her bed in a state of exhaustion.

When she woke, it was to her stomach gurgling, hungry after going so long without food. After the last few weeks of being fed regularly, her body had become accustomed to having those three meals a day. She wasn't complaining though, she always felt better after she ate, and had felt her energy levels begin to rise as well.

When she finally dragged herself off the bed and into the kitchen, she was surprised to find Loki there as well, a plate of food already half-eaten. He looked up as she entered the room, his lips giving a tight twitch as she got herself a plate of food and sat next to him.

He was the first to speak. "Finally out of bed?"

Sigyn looked at Loki with fake hurt, her slight smile giving her amusement away. "I wasn't asleep that long."

There were a few minutes of silence in which Loki finished his food, and Sigyn ate hers quickly. Between bites, Sigyn turned to Loki, a hopeful smile on her face. "Can you teach me today?"

Loki inclined his head. "I believe it would be best if we began, yes."

Sigyn's face was excited as she quickly ate the rest of her food, scraping the plate clean before adding it to the tower of dishes in the sink. Together Loki and Sigyn walked through the stone halls, entering the main room with rows of equipment and electronics.

"I must pause here for a moment," Loki said, stopping just outside the row. "I need to make sure that everything is going as planned."

"Should I wait here for you?"

"I may be some time, but if you wish to start practicing, find that power you are so afraid of and bring it to the surface of your mind. Once you have done that, come and find me."

He didn't say another word as he stocked off between the two rows, looking at each person that passed, and heading towards the brightly lit plastic room.

Sigyn turned the opposite way, going to lean against the wall, still watching as Loki stopped just outside the plastic room and began speaking to some of the men there. Sigyn closed her eyes, blocking out the emotions of the people around her, and buried herself in her mind.

Things were not as chaotic as they had been before. Past memories, good and bad, had been shoved in their rightful places. Kernels of emotions that Sigyn kept as examples for manipulating people in waited in its own box to be accessed at any time. Her own emotions thrown into a room so they would not bother her when she burrowed deep into her mind to find that power that was so dangerous, so powerful.

It took some time, Sigyn having to look into room after hidden room to make sure that power wasn't lurking anywhere. She was almost at her very core, the place her brightly burning soul sat, the place she could see a golden thread attached to a green soul, when she finally stumbled upon it. Her fear of it had hidden the power deep, in a place that couldn't be accidentally sought out and used.

When she had finally dragged it to the surface of her mind and opened her eyes, she saw that Loki was sitting in front of her, his legs slightly crossed, his scepter in his right hand, his back towards her. There was something about the way he sat that told Sigyn that something just wasn't right. Sigyn reached forward with her mind, using that strong connection, looking to see if any progress had been on fighting the invasion. She was surprised when the world around her started to fade as Loki's scepter began to glow more intently.

After only a moment, she found herself on a rocky planet, dimly lit by the distant stars around it. In front of Loki, half-hidden by an oddly shaped rock, stood a being, not unlike the ones Sigyn had watched take Loki away for torturing.

"The Chitauri grow restless," said the thing.

"Let them gird themselves," Loki said, a copy of him appearing and walking slowly in front of the thing. "I will lead them in the glorious battle."

"Battle?" the thing asked as Loki continued to take steps past it. "Against the meager might of Earth?"

"Glorious, not lengthy. If your fore is as formidable as you claim."

The thing leaned around the rock it was standing behind, aggressively speaking. "You question us? You question him, he who put the scepter in your hand? Who gave you ancient knowledge and new purpose when you were cast out, defeated?"

"I was a king! The rightful king of Asgard, betrayed."

"Your ambition is little and born of childish need. We look beyond the Earth to the greater worlds the Tesseract will unveil."

"You don't have the Tesseract yet." At Loki's words, the thing Lunged forward, his arm ready to strike, and Sigyn felt her body tense up in fear for Loki. But Loki didn't react except raise his scepter and place it close to the thing's neck as he continued speaking. "I don't threaten. But until I open the doors, until your force is mine to command, you are but words."

"You will have your war, Asgardian." The thing lowered his hands and stepped towards Loki, walking around him as he spoke. "If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he cannot find you."

Behind her, Sigyn heard a giant animal pass through the space beyond the rock she was standing on, making terrible noises. She turned slightly, looking at the large creature as the thing continued to speak.

"You think you know pain?" Those words caused Sigyn to turn back to where Loki stood. "He will make you long for something sweet as pain." And then the thing raised his hand, touching Loki's head.

Suddenly, Sigyn found herself back in that underground room, Loki flinching violently away from where the thing had been touching him. Sigyn rushed forward towards him, stumbling slightly, and listened to Loki take a few heavy breaths.

"Are you okay?" Sigyn whispered.

"We are running out of time."

"Who are they?"

Loki stood, then walked down the hallway. Sigyn followed, determined to have him answer her questions, or to at least start teaching her how to control her raw power. She followed him into a room that had no furniture, nothing breakable. Loki and Sigyn walked to the center of the room.

Loki looked at Sigyn, watching her movements. "You know how to defend yourself, yes?"

Sigyn nodded, falling into a ready position, her feet apart, arms slightly raised.

"Good," Loki said, laying his spear on the ground before removing his jacket. "This is to be your default position. Every time someone means to attack you, you will defend yourself. Have you found your power as I have asked?"

"Yes."

"Now I want you to pull that power around you, create a shield that completely surrounds you."

Sigyn closed her eyes and looked into herself, to that power she had just pulled to the forefront of her mind. She grabbed ahold of it, and pulled the power, not from within, but from the room. She pulled it towards her, tighter until it surrounded her.

She opened her eyes to look through a faintly white shimmer of air. "Wow," she breathed, studying the way the bubble around her rippled and moved. "That was easier than I expected."

She looked to Loki, who smirked. Suddenly, without much warning, a flash of green light streaked towards her bubble from several different directions. Sigyn gasped as they shattered her shield, sending the power spiraling back around the room. She closed her eyes, expecting to be hit by the green streaks, but opened them after a moment when nothing happened.

Loki stood in the same spot as before, watching her. "That was a start. Now do it again."

And Sigyn did. Again and again, she drew that power close to herself creating a bubble, a shield, and Loki attacked it with magic. After four more times, Sigyn finally managed to stop his attack for a second before it penetrated her defense. She was sweating now, her skin sticky from it, but she knew this was important to learn. It could be the difference between life and death.

So, the practice continued. Sigyn lost count of how many times she threw up her shield but she could feel the strain on her mind. She was getting frustrated. She knew she was making progress, that last time she had almost completely blocked all the magic he sent towards her. But after hours of practice, it wasn't enough. She needed to learn this quickly, the battle wouldn't wait for her to learn this new power, to figure out how it works. _They_ won't wait for her to defeat them.

The thought of them, the people who had taken her, captured her, and tortured her, caused anger to rise in her stomach, her eyes to widen in fury as her lips tightened. The next time Loki attacked her, she threw up her shield stronger and more quickly than before. Loki look startled for a moment when his own magic was absorbed by the shield, flickers of green light dispersing on the transparent white shield.

"What changed?" Loki's voice came slightly muffled through the shield as Sigyn continued to hold it.

"Anger," Sigyn answered, and with a slow exhale of breath let the shield drop.

The power didn't flow back into the room as it had before. Instead, it lay hovering, just outside of reach, waiting for Sigyn to call it again.

"Good," Loki said with a smile. "Let's do it again."

Immediately after those words, Loki's magic struck out at her, and she instinctively raised her shield once more. Her mind strained with the effort, but the shield absorbed the magic again, making it stronger.

Four more times Loki had Sigyn lower her shield before attacking her with no warning, and each time Sigyn met the power with her own, allowing it to protect her.

"That's enough for today," Loki finally said, and Sigyn dropped her shield one last time with a grateful sigh.

She felt her strained mind pulse with pain and closed her eyes as she tried to contain it. She grasped her head with her hands, trying to push the pain back. She felt larger hands cover hers, pressing gently as warm, soothing energy flowed into her head. After a moment, the pain turned to a dull ache and slight throb. Sigyn lifted her head, lowering her hands as Loki's still held hers.

"Thanks," she whispered. He nodded, letting go of one of her hands and led her out of the room. Before long she found herself standing in her room, Loki guiding her to the armchair before simply saying, "Wait here."

He left then, and Sigyn let out a deep breath. There was something about him, the man that was dark, unpredictable, that she was drawn to. She knew that he wasn't so cold and cruel as he seemed, she could see it in his eyes, had seen it in those few moments she could remember in that cell, when his soul dragged hers back to life. She just wished he would show it more, show her his troubles, his pains. She would meet them head-on, battling his demons, help him in a way he couldn't help himself.

But with that thing invading his mind, she knew it would be near impossible. It was then she decided to do something about it. She reached out broadly with her mind, searching for his, for the mind that she was so closely connected to. She found him and without any preamble, she plunged her entire soul into his mind. Her presence was not unwelcome, that much she was glad to feel, but Loki was surprised at her suddenly entering his mind.

She surrounded his mind in hers, pushing and squeezing the yellow sickness away, trying as hard as she could, throwing all her power at it. She was expecting it to move back, to give slowly. She was not, however, expecting it to suddenly retreat from her, backing away, not lashing out. Before Sigyn could comprehend what had caused that force to back away, the invasion in his mind had began to shrink, moving quickly away until more than half of Loki's mind was finally his own.

With one more great push of will, Sigyn pushed the impenetrable protection she had already put in place in his uninfected mind to cover the newly exposed parts. She added her energy to it, strengthened that protection where it had weakened by being stretched.

And then she was shoved out of his mind, warm liquid running from her nose. She raised her hand to her face and saw the blood that covered it when she pulled it back.

Loki rushed into the room, almost hitting the tray on the edge of the door as he looked at Sigyn's blood-covered face. He quickly set the tray of food on the bed, grabbed a towel that had been resting on the small dresser that now adorned the room, and rushed to her. He pressed the towel to her face, right under her nose.

"You ridiculous girl!" Loki's voice was soft but sharp as he looked into her eyes. "Your mind was already overworked, did the pain in your head not tell you enough?"

"I was thinking-," began Sigyn, only to be interrupted by Loki.

"No, you clearly weren't."

"After that vision today, I just couldn't let you live with them accessing your mind like that if there was something I could do about it." Her voice was muffled through the towel, but he clearly understood.

His whole body relaxed in defeat, his eyes dropping to the towel that was slowly filling with her blood.

"So you did see."

"Yes! I did!"

Loki took a deep breath, taking her hand and pulling it up to the towel to hold it in place. He slumped to the bed only three feet away and sat on it.

"Who are they?" Sigyn pulled the towel away from her face, checking to see if her nose had stopped bleeding. It had, so she sat the towel in her lap. The dried blood on her face was uncomfortable, but she would deal with it, especially since it looked like Loki was going to answer her question.

"They're called the Chitauri. I know not where they come from. They have an army ready to attack Earth."

"And you are to lead them?"

There was a long silence in which Sigyn watched Loki and in which he looked at the floor.

When he didn't answer, Sigyn repeated the words she had heard him say earlier that day. "' I will lead them in the glorious battle.' Lead them Loki. Not just help them! You are to be their leader!"

"I was to be. Now, however, I find myself in turmoil. The control they had over me was not as great as they thought. You were able to save me, to push that far enough from my mind for me to come back to myself. But if I do not complete my quest..." Loki stopped, letting the word hang in the air, unspoken promises clouding the space between them.

"If you don't complete your quest they will kill you."

"Yes. Along with my family and anyone else who would wish to stop them."

There was another moment in which neither spoke, but the wheels in Sigyn's brain were churning.

"Loki, you are the god of mischief, yes?"

"That is one of my many titles."

"Is the god of mischief going to let himself be outsmarted by one measly army?"

Loki finally looked up at Sigyn, his eyes bright, a smirk overtaking his face.

"And what is it that you have in mind?"

Sigyn smiled before telling him her plan.

* * *

The next few days fell into a routine. Sigyn got out of bed, ate breakfast, then met with Loki in the same room as before to begin exercising her power. She had become excellent at blocking Loki's magic, even going as far as using several small shields to block each individual strike. They also discovered her shield worked against physical attacks as well. Loki had tried to pierce her shield with his spear and had even gone as far to order Agent Burton and another man to shoot at her with arrows and bullets. Her shield absorbed the energy that hit it, causing her shield and power to grow stronger. The hardest part for Sigyn was that at times, the amount of power that she held in her control was too much for her to handle and she would need to release some of that energy to gain control.

Once Sigyn became a practiced hand at shields, Loki then sent her on a quest to create objects. She started with a physical shield, an obvious choice because that was what she was most familiar with. The shield she created was usually round, a simple shape for Sigyn to picture, and the same turquoise color of her mind. To further her practice when she became bored with it, she started creating patterns and textures on the shield, changing the colors and pushing herself to see how much she could actually do.

Then it turned to weapons. Daggers, in which Loki was happy to find she already knew how to use. Once Sigyn found out how easy it was for daggers to be concealed over 150 years ago, she had made it a point to practice throwing them and with her new ability, she had an unlimited supply. She had managed to create a sword that was much too large for Sigyn's small stature to wield properly. She even conjured a bow and arrows. Sigyn had approached Agent Barton after she could hold the weapon for longer than a few moments to start teaching her the correct way to use it. He had been absolutely thrilled. He didn't show it outwardly, but Sigyn could feel his emotions turn to amusement and excitement for sharing his skills.

After that practice though, Sigyn would eat lunch with Liz, return to her room for a brief nap, then spend some time with Loki. Some days she would help him fight the control on his mind, but most days they would read in silence, or talk endlessly about anything they could think about.

"You wear a lot of green," Sigyn said to him one day as she was curled up on a couch, a book open in her hands. "And black."

"I happen to like these colors."

"Yes, but you wear the same two colors every day. Don't you get tired of them?"

"No."

"You never just think 'I'm going to try to wear a different color.' What about red? I bet it would go great with the color of your hair."

"Red? No, I don't believe you will ever see me in such colors."

"Why not red?"

"Because that's the color my brother wears."

Sigyn just rolled her eyes.

It was a few days later when Sigyn started asking about his childhood.

"You said you had a brother. Did you get along?"

Loki didn't answer, and Sigyn had decided that it was a subject he didn't want to talk about so she left it alone. She didn't need to pull up any bad memories. She had just started to read the book in front of her when he spoke.

"We used to. We were complete opposites. He was big, strong. I was smaller, but more powerful. My mother started teaching me to control my magic at a young age, thinking that it would quell my attempts at mischief. As you could imagine, learning to control it only caused my mischievous tendencies to increase. My brother ended up being the one I played mischief on, or he was the one I convinced my mother and Odin to blame it on. That could last only so long, however.

"But Thor never blamed. He accepted the challenge. We kept each other's senses sharp even though we often fought. I thought he had betrayed me once, but since I met you, I think I see things from a different perspective."

He didn't say any more than that.

"Thank you for sharing."

"And your siblings?"

Sigyn smiled as memories came to the forefront of her mind. "We got along well. My sister, younger than me by a few years, was always tagging along when I would go to do something. Have tea with a few of my friends? She was right beside me. The first time a boy invited me for a stroll around the garden? She was there as well, hiding behind a rose bush.

"My brother and I were very different, yet we discovered we were the same in the end. He would read in the library for study, not because he wanted to. I would find myself there at the same time, reading for enjoyment, not for study. At that time, I was quiet and reserved, what was expected of a girl my age, and he was a boy, getting into small amounts of trouble and finding his way into medical school."

Sigyn let the memories wash over for a few moments before speaking again. "I did everything I could for them. But then I had to leave. I missed most of their children's lives. Once their grandchildren died, I couldn't stand to keep up with the family anymore. It was painful to watch them leave while I stayed ageless. I miss them very much."

That was the last they spoke to each other until dinner. But still, they were so caught up in thoughts of their family that they didn't say much at all.

They talked about other things too, things they were secretly afraid of. Loki didn't want to be forgotten. Sigyn never wanted to be stuck in a small room with locked doors again. They spent hours together, not always talking, but unintentionally building the bond they shared until nothing could break it.

But one afternoon Loki knew the next step concerning the Tesseract should be taken. After Sigyn had finished with her lunch, Loki had come to get her, telling her that the next part of the plan was ready. So Sigyn followed him, not exactly sure where they were going until they reached the hall that led to the room with all the computers and machines.

The main room was busy, people with cases running into the cleanroom, then out again to bring in more equipment. Sigyn could hear Doctor Selvig say "Put it over there," as she walked closer to the room, following Loki. She heard his voice again. "Where did you find all these people?"

It was agent Barton who answered, standing outside the cleanroom. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has no shortage of enemies, Doctor." He then raised the tablet he was holding up to show Doctor Selvig. "Is this the stuff you need?"

Doctor Selvig, picking up a couple of pieces of metal, turned to see the tablet. "Yeah, iridium. It's found in meteorites. If forms anti-protons. It's very hard to get hold of."

"Especially if S.H.I.E.L.D. knows you need it," responded Agent Barton.

"Well," Doctor Selvig said, throwing his arms out. "I didn't even know. Hey!" Doctor Selvig exclaimed once he caught sight of Loki. Loki and Sigyn stopped in front of the flaps that served as the door to the cleanroom as Doctor Selvig walked to stand in front of them. "The Tesseract has shown me so much. It's more than knowledge. It's truth."

"I know," Loki answered, a smile on his face as he watched the doctor. He turned to the other man. "What did it show you, Agent Barton?"

"My next target."

"Tell me what you need."

Agent Barton walked over to a stack of supplies, pulling out a folded bow and jerking it so it was fully formed. "I need a distraction. And an eyeball."

Loki grinned as Agent Barton walked off. He turned to Sigyn. "And what did it show you?"

Sigyn smiled at him gently, reaching forward to his mind to push some of the chaos she could feel churning there, and with her hand to rest it against his cheek. "It showed me you."


	18. Germany

In the main control area of the Helicarrier people raced back and forth talking to each other through their earpieces as well as face to face. Every computer screen held pictures of the man who S.H.I.E.L.D. was currently hunting down, or controls for keeping the giant airship running.

Director Fury was standing at his place on the deck, watching the screens next to him as search results and other statistics were projected onto them. Steve Rogers and Agent Phil Coulson stood side-by-side watching as the airship flew over the ocean.

"I mean, if it's not too much trouble." Agent Coulson looked at Steve hopefully.

"No, no. It's fine." Steve didn't uncross his arms as he said it. He had been expecting this conversation since he had arrived on the ship, ever since Agent Coulson had mentioned that he was a big fan of Captain America. When Natasha had mentioned that Agent Coulson would ask him to sign those cards Steve had determined that there was no polite way to say no.

"It's a vintage set," Agent Coulson continued. "It took me a couple of years to collect them all. Near mint. Slight foxing around the edges, but-,"

He was interrupted by an agent sitting to the left, his computer searching through recent photos for one particular man.

"We got a hit. A 67% match. Wait. Crossmatch, 79%."

Agent Coulson walked up next to the man, watching his screen as he pulled up the video and location for the target.

"Location?" asked Agent Coulson.

"Stuttgart Germany. 28 Konigstrasse Plazza. He's not exactly hiding."

"Captain," Direct Fury said, drawing Steve's attention away from the screen and towards the center of the room. "You're up."

The screen showed the man, Loki, dressed in fine clothes as he walked in front of the camera. Behind him, dressed in an emerald gown was a woman. Red hair, green eyes, and a face Director Fury was well acquainted with.

"Wait," he said to the Captain, gesturing for him to look at the paused video. "Both of them are more dangerous than you can imagine. That woman escaped the same facility the Tesseract was held in. Don't underestimate her."

Steve studied the pair for a moment, then nodded. He turned and left to get suited up.

* * *

Sigyn's green dress flowed around her in a way that reminded her of the past. She and her sister had dreamed and described dresses to each other when they were young. They designed the dresses they would wear to their first day of court, and the ones they would walk down the aisle in. Back then, the style had been a little different than what she was wearing now, but the thought and design of it had taken just as much effort to create.

The top portion had a lacy look to it. The neck to the dress almost reached her collarbone, and the long sleeves were off the shoulder. The dress cinched her waist and then flowed freely in the A-line fashion. The dress was simple and elegant. Her look was completed by the small amount of make-up Liz had insisted was necessary, and an elegant up-do. It wasn't much, just mascara, a little bit of lipstick, and a blush that was subtle enough to look natural. It was wonderful to be so well dressed once again.

She held onto Loki's arm as they passed through a large crowd of people, his other hand holding his scepter disguised as an ornamental cane. Sigyn kept her walls shut despite her worry for Loki's mind. She knew the yellow force made his mind unbalanced, especially since that part was still affecting most of his mind. She wasn't sure she was going to be able to stop whatever it was that he had come here to do. Sigyn would try, she would, but it would do her no good if she lost herself in the crowd when she opened her mind up to far. She had been able to gain practice and become used to large crowds again, but there were well over a hundred people in the room. She couldn't fight that yet.

Loki led her down the steps of a grand hall, a quartet playing and a man speaking in front of a crowd of well-dressed people. Vaguely, she could feel the lives of two men snuffed out, one with a small burst of pain, and the next only five seconds later. She knew two men had just died, but she had to respect the ability of the man with a bow if he could fire two arrows so quickly.

Loki led her down the rest of the staircase, and into the main room behind the speaker. He detached her arm from his, saying gently, "Please, stay here," before leaving her and continuing forward.

The man that had turned toward the pair when they had descended the staircase was a security guard and the first to feel the hard hit from Loki's scepter. He fell, catching the attention of everyone in the room, and every eye followed Loki as he tackled the man that had been speaking. Everyone gasped and backed away as Loki dragged the man over to an ornate and ancient table, flipping him onto it.

Sigyn couldn't help but stare in horror as she watched Loki pull a device out of his pocket, press it just above the man's eyeball, and watch the crowd as the man's mind flared with agony. Everyone in the room screamed, running towards the exits away from Loki and the man.

Sigyn pushed her back up against a pillar as people ran past, escaping. She was horrified. She opened her mind, grabbing onto Loki's infected one, trying to fight to get him to come back to himself, to realize what he was doing. But the thing that controlled him was too far embedded. He didn't stop, and Sigyn, knowing there was truly no way to stop him right now, pulled out of his mind. She wasn't at all surprised to find tears falling down her cheeks.

Loki, now done with the man he had just killed, held his hand out for Sigyn. She stared at him, terrified for what he might do next, but she saw his eyes, _her_ Loki, begging her to come with him, to help fight off the control as much as they could. So she stepped forward, took his arm and tried to make another connection with his mind. She found herself blocked by walls of ice. Sigyn shivered.

As they followed the crowd out of the building, walking slowly, their clothing began to change. Loki's suit became much more formal, green in color and armored in gold. He wore a cape and a horned helm. Sigyn looked down, only slightly surprised to find that her dress had changed too. It had only changed slightly, the bodice had been covered in golden armor, and the skirt shimmering as if it was covered in emeralds.

But comfort didn't matter now. As the two of them crossed the road, a police car came around the corner. Before it could reach them, Loki pointed his undisguised scepter at it, and the blue light caused the car to flip onto its top and skid several dozen feet. Sigyn gripped Loki's arm more tightly as he created a copy of himself to stop the escaping crowd.

"Kneel before me." The crowd turned, only to find another Loki had appeared in their way, and then a third, effectively blocking the crowd between the four identical men. "I said…kneel!" Loki banged his scepter on the grown, causing all four scepters to shine brightly.

The crowd did as they were told, slowly kneeling in front of Loki, and Sigyn by association. Loki spread his arms, Sigyn letting go as she saw the look of amusement on his face. "Is not this simpler?" He started to walk through the crowd of kneeling people, looking on with a grin on his face.

Sigyn followed behind quietly, determined that she would do everything that she could to keep him from harming another person.

Loki continued. "Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."

Sigyn held back a gasp of horror as she watched a man stand. He was an older man, and by the look of him, he had been alive during the Second World War.

"Not to men like you," the old man said, staring at Loki with open defiance.

Loki smiled. "There are no men like me."

"There are always men like you."

"Look to your elder people. Let him be an example."

And that's when Sigyn knew what would happen next. She rushed forward as Loki raised his spear and pointed it at the man. She pushed the crowd out of her way and knocked into Loki and the scepter just as he released the power. She didn't see what happened next as she fell to the ground, only knew that there was a sound of something hitting the ground close to where the old man stood.

Loki looked at Sigyn with anger for a moment, before turning at the sound of a voice. Sigyn watched, sprawled on the ground as a man dressed in red, white, and blue walked towards them. He held a shield in the same colors on his right arm

"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing."

Loki stood from his stooped position and said, "The soldier. The man out of time."

Sigyn suddenly had a recollection of who this man would be. She had heard about him, oh so long ago. This was Captain America. He had disappeared after the war. Everyone had thought he died. But how was he still alive?

"I'm not the one who's out of time."

As if those words had triggered its appearance, a small aircraft came into view behind him, hovering as a very large gun came out of its belly.

A calm woman's voice echoed through the speakers on the aircraft. "Loki, drop the weapon and stand down."

Loki shot a bolt of power at the aircraft, missing as it dodged the strike, and Captain America threw his shield at Loki's chest. The crowd scattered in panic, thankfully no on trampling or stepping on Sigyn as the shield bounced off of Loki's chest and the Captain ran forward, catching it and attacking Loki. Captain America was pushed back, rolling with a quick recovery, and threw the shield again. Loki batted it out of the way with his scepter, dodging Captain America's first punch, unsuccessfully trying to land a strike at the other man's head, and knocked the Captain back once he had stood from dodging.

Loki pressed the butt of his scepter to the Captain's head as he kneeled on the ground. "Kneel," he told the man dressed in blue.

Captain America jumped up, saying "Not today," and landed a solid kick to Loki.

Loki recovered quickly, grabbing Captain America and throwing him forward.

Suddenly, music was blasting out of the aircraft's speakers as another aircraft came into view. A bolt of yellow sparks shot out from it, knocking Loki back, close to where Sigyn was still laying and watching the commotion.

Sigyn saw that the second aircraft wasn't a plane, but a suit of armor. The suit stood, or the man inside it did, both hands raised and ready to release missiles and other weapons.

"Make your move, Reindeer Games." The voice from the suit had a metallic sound to it. Sigyn looked to Loki and was surprised to see his armor disappear in a golden haze. She looked at herself to see that her dress was back to the way it had been before.

"Good move," said the metallic voice again.

Sigyn was confused. While she hadn't wanted Loki to hurt anyone, it seemed as if he had been winning the fight before the suit of armor showed up. Even then, Loki only looked slightly disgruntled at the blast that had sent him flying. Loki wouldn't have given up, at least not unless there was a reason.

Sigyn looked back to the suit of armor, finding Captain America standing next to it.

"Mr. Stark," said Captain America.

"Captain," answered the suit.

Sigyn watched as the aircraft flew in closer, landing behind them.

They took Loki first, escorting him rather forcefully into the aircraft. Sigyn stood, unsure of what to do. She would be lost without Loki. Her mind and her body were still recovering, and neither could handle the stress a separation would do to the both of them. It was why she had come here with him in the first place. Sigyn trembled, crossing her arms and gripping herself tightly. She did the one thing she knew how to do.

She reached out, feeling each mind of the people who had come to take Loki away. She started to plant the idea in one of their heads that she could go too, that she had been part of this mess. Before she was even halfway done, a hand grabbed her arm, tight, but gentle.

Sigyn opened her eyes, looking up at the man who now gripped her arm. It wasn't even the same one she had been planting the thoughts in. Curiously, she touched her mind to his. There was a strangeness about it, normal, yet different from any other mind she had ever encountered. Modified? Sigyn didn't think it was possible. He knew that she was dangerous. He had been warned about her.

She looked into the eyes of Captain America, pulling out of his mind as she tried to free the grip on her arm. He didn't say anything, just started to walk towards the aircraft. Sigyn resisted, unwilling to go back to a cell because she knew being caught with Loki would end up with her in one. Was it the place she had just escaped? Were they taking her back to that place, to put her back into that cell, and torture for the information she had about Loki? And Captain America, the man who single handily saved an entire company's life during the war, was dragging her back.

She shook her head, pulling her arm away, using her other hand to pry his fingers off. They didn't budge. She had wanted to go with Loki, but not like this. She didn't want to be their prisoner. She just wanted to stay close so that their bond, weak but so very strong, didn't cause either of them pain.

"Who's this," asked the man in the armored suit.

"All I know is that she escaped from the same place Loki stole the tesseract from. Director Fury wants her back."

Sigyn could feel tears sliding down her face as she struggled against the hand that held her.

"She doesn't look like much," said the metallic voice.

"Maybe, but she's working with Loki. And she did escape. Direct Fury called her dangerous."

"Yeah, Director Fury says a lot of things."

Despite her efforts, Captain America strapped her into the seat beside Loki. She tried to take off the restraints that held her to the seat, but there was no latch. Sigyn's hands trembled.

"Are you okay?" Loki asked so quietly she didn't think anyone else had heard.

Sigyn shook her head.

Loki's hand reached for hers, took it, and squeezed.

Sigyn had been on an airplane before. Several times as she moved across the country. But those had been larger, louder, and much more crowded with the rows of seats. The one she was in now was much different. The only seats were in the cockpit, and those that Loki and herself currently sat in. She could barely see out of the front window, and she had been scared and awed as the plane they were in rose straight up in the air. It was like a helicopter, but this was nothing like that.

The technology that surrounded her wasn't surprising. Sigyn had known before she was even captured that there were going to be huge advances in technology. There had been a lot of talk about the moon. NASA had thought it possible to make it in one piece. And she had seen some amazing evidence of how advanced everything was first hand. She wasn't so sure why a plan flying straight up like a helicopter was surprising. She just hoped this thing was safe.

* * *

"Are they saying anything?" Sigyn heard the voice over the radio. She didn't recognize it, but it was someone who was obviously in charge.

"Not a word." The woman's voice was soft. Sigyn might have thought that she was trying to keep her voice down so that she and Loki couldn't hear. But Sigyn heard, not that it mattered. Neither she or Loki would say anything that would endanger the other.

"Just get them here," the voice on the radio said. "We're low on time."

Sigyn watched the two men standing just outside the cockpit through strands of her hair. She didn't want them to know she was watching and gauging their emotions, but she was curious about them both.

"I don't like it," said Steve Rogers, turning so his back faced her.

The armored man answered, not looking at her or Loki, but staring towards the ramp at the back of the plane. "What, Rock of Ages giving up so easily?"

"I don't remember it being that easy. This guy packs a wallop." He turned to look right at Loki.

"Maybe it's the girl. Still, you are pretty spry for an older fellow. What's your thing, Pilates?"

Sigyn couldn't help but allow her lips a slight twitch at the man's snark. Steve Rogers was only about one hundred years younger than she was. The fact that this other man was so obviously picking at the great Captain America like he was amused Sigyn more than anything had the past several decades.

"What?"

"It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple of things doing time as a Capsule."

Sigyn couldn't hold back the soft snort of amusement. All three men, Loki, Steve Rogers, and Stark if she remembered his name correctly, looked at her. She didn't make another noise. Instead, she was analyzing the complete change in her mood.

Only a minute ago she had been terrified to be on this odd plane. She and Loki had been captured, the two men who had captured them were standing there, looking right at her. She was going who knows where, in a small metal box like she had been trapped in for so long, yet she felt amused.

Searching her mind, she found the difference had been the people around her. Stark, while his humor and mind were very dry, was funny. Steve Rogers was just as confused about the technology and language as she was. The woman in the cockpit had been through some pretty terrible things herself. And the other man flying the plan didn't know what was going on, nor did he give a shit.

Their emotions and personalities were affecting her in a way she hadn't felt since her sister's children had died. It was almost nice.

Her attention was brought back to Steve Rogers as he said, "Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in."

Who was Fury? He must be the man in charge. The one who had spoken over the radio perhaps? Maybe someone else?

"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you."

The was a loud rumble of thunder and a bright streak of lightning that suddenly flashed through the cabin. Sigyn hadn't heard thunder, seen lightning, or felt rain for as long as she had been captured. It was almost a relief to realize that the weather still worked the same. Her relief didn't last as the woman spoke.

"Where's this coming from?"

Loud thunder blasted into Sigyn's ears, and Loki pulled his hand away from hers quickly. Loki leaned forward in his seat, looking up. Steve Rogers turned, his eyes landing on the now nervous man.

"What's the matter? Are you scared of a little lightning?"

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," Loki answered, still watching the roof of the plane.

At his tone, his nervousness, Sigyn shrank back into her seat, curling as tightly as she could against he restraints. Her ease and amusement was suddenly gone as she felt true emotions from Loki. He was actually fearful of what was going to happen next. She had only felt him afraid when they were in that cold cell of his, the guards unlocking the door to drag him away. Her eyes filled with tears at the memory and the fear she felt running through her body.

There was a strange mind approaching them very quickly. It was coming from above her. Someone was falling out of the sky, directly towards their plane. Sigyn whimpered as the mind grew closer and she felt it's immense power. It only grew closer, and she cringed waiting for something to hit the top of the plane.

There was a large _bang,_ and the whole plane shuttered around them. Stark put his helmet back on and opened the hatch.

"What are you doing?" Yelled Captain America, his mask on as well.

Another man, the one that Sigyn had felt approaching them, landed on the now open hatch. He was wearing a cape, armor, and had a large hammer in his left hand. Sigyn's gaze shifted to Loki for a split second, and she saw and felt his fear.

Stark walked towards the new arrival, raising his hand. He was immediately knocked over and back towards the cockpit.

In a split second, the new man had yanked Loki out of his harness and was holding him by the neck. Sigyn screamed as larger man pushed Loki out of the plane and the both fell to Earth.

Stark, now standing spoke. "And now there's that guy."

"Another Asgardian?" Called the woman.

"That guy's a friendly?" Asked Steve Rogers, now standing.

"Doesn't matter." Came Starks metallic voice. "If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost." He turned, walking towards where the two men had fallen to the Earth moments ago.

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!"

The armored man paused for a moment to say, "I have a plan. Attack." And then he jumped out of the plane too.

Steve rogers lunged for the packs across from Sigyn, unlatching one then strapping himself to it.

"I'd sit this one out, Cap," called the woman.

"I don't see how I can."

"These guys come from legend. They're basically gods."

The man finished strapping on his pack and grabbed his shield saying, "There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that."

And then he was the fourth person to jump out of the plane.


	19. The Waiting Game

Sigyn could hear a lot of talking in the cockpit, but she chose to ignore it, instead she reached out her mind to find where the four people went. She felt nothing, though she was unsurprised. Sigyn was sure they were still hundreds of feet above the ground. Her range was good, but she still had limits. It seemed like time passed slowly as Sigyn continued to search and upon finding nothing, started listening to the conversation in the cockpit.

She couldn't quite make out every word, but it sounded like they were circling the area in which everyone had jumped out of the plane, searching for a sign that they were there. It seemed like hours in which Sigyn cast her mind out, searching and waiting for someone to come within her range.

Sigyn was confused. The man had obviously targeted the aircraft because Loki was there. He had hardly looked at the other people, just paying enough attention to prevent Stark from immediately stopping the other man from taking Loki. There were things in Loki's past that she didn't understand, things that she would never know and this may just be one of those.

She thought back to everything that Loki had told of his past, mostly his family, about Asgard, about his education in magic. And then she remembered that brief memory that she had seen when Loki had saved her from death. Two boys, walking down a street, then fighting each other. Loki had a brother and from what she remembered of his visions, Loki's brother was fair-haired, muscular, very much like the man who had just stolen Loki off the aircraft was. It all made sense to Sigyn, that that man was Loki's brother. And she pulled his name from Loki's memory. _Thor, god of thunder._

And then she felt their minds, Loki's standing out prominently, Thor's just as strange as it had been before, Stark's churning with thoughts and emotions, and Captain America's unusual mind as well. They were approaching quickly, and then the jolt of the aircraft landing. The hatch opened, and Sigyn was happy to see Loki step onto the deck once more, his arm gripped tightly by Thor's hand. Loki's emotions were a mix of amusement, satisfaction that the plan was moving forward, and annoyance directed towards his brother. Thor pushed Loki back into his seat, giving Sigyn a curious look, before turning back to Stark and Steve Rogers.

The silence, broken only by the sound of the radio and the man and woman speaking in the cockpit and the sound of the engines, was tense. Each man looked at the others with distrust, their eyes moving from each person, then back again. Sigyn rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned her head away to look through the windows in the roof of the aircraft.

The churning emotions of everyone on the aircraft caused Sigyn to become uneasy. Her hands clenched in her lap, her fingers wiggling and wringing the others. Her feet, which inconveniently did not reach the floor, bounced out a nervous rhythm, and her whole body shifted uncomfortably. But despite the emotions she felt from each person, she did what she had to do. Her part of the plan was important to how the next two days would play out. She needed to make sure that it worked.

By the time Sigyn felt the aircraft land with a jolt once more, her head was leaning against the wall behind her, her mind drifting into the place of almost sleep. She looked just in time to see the hatch open as the engines started to slow. A dozen men dressed in black rush forward, surrounding Loki and Sigyn immediately. In a blur of emotions and movement, Sigyn was standing with her hands cuffed behind her back, a group of four guards practically pushing her from the aircraft and onto the surface of a large airstrip. Looking around her, Sigyn could only see the sky. She was on a very large aircraft.

She glanced behind her to Loki, seeing him in the same position as she was. He gave her a small smile before their two groups went separate directions.

They walked Loki towards the center of the giant airship, passing room after room. As he passed one room, windows lining its walls, Loki couldn't help but smile as he saw the man that would be the key to the plan. He knew his smile would unnerve the man, just like he wanted it to.

But group of guards didn't stop until Loki was safely shut inside a circular room with walls of glass. Loki stood in the middle, watching as a dozen men walked back out of the room, and a new man walked in.

"In case it's unclear," the new man said, approaching a control panel and hitting a few buttons. "If you try to escape, if you so much as scratch that glass, it's 30,000 feet straight down in a steel trap." Below the glass walls holding Loki, the metal retracted, showing a tunnel straight down through the bottom of the ship. Loki stepped forward, looking down at the hole now on the floor. "You get how that works?" The man hit a few buttons on the control panel again, closing a glasses door that covered a large red button and gestured towards Loki, then the control counsel. "Ant, boot."

Loki chuckled, backing to stand in the middle of his glass room once more. "It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something a lot stronger than you."

"Oh, I've heard." Loki turned, looking directly at a camera to his left. "A mindless beast. Makes play he's still a man. How desperate are you that you call on such lost creatures to defend you? That you imprison a woman for half a century because you're scared?"

"How desperate am I?" The man looks a Loki with aggressive body language, walking close to the glass wall. "You threaten my world with war. You release a dangerous prisoner and steal a weapon you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill because its fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad you did."

"It burns you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract and a woman who can touch it. To have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share. And then to be reminded what real power is."

"Well let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something." And then the man turned and left the room

Loki didn't seem concerned the other man had walked away, he just simply turned back towards the camera and looked straight into, knowing they were watching.

* * *

Sigyn wasn't overly impressed by the guards that escorted her through the long hallways and into an elevator. If she had to label them they would fall directly into the 'stupid but strong' category. She knew it was a stereotype, and it was something she tried not to assume about people, but there was no helping this. Being here, around people she knew must have been in that _place_ , by people who had allowed her to remain a prisoner for so long, grated on her nerves. Her feelings, the resentment, anger, fear, caused her to throw up defenses and judge everyone she came into contact with. She wasn't ashamed of it, she just wished she never had to be surrounded by these people again.

They finally stopped in front of a door, white, unremarkable. One of the guards tapped on the touchpad next to the door and a distinct _click_ before the same guard reached forward and opened the door.

All she could see was a short hallway leading to what looked like an open space, a desk resting against the left wall, on which sat a pile of clothes, and a door to her right.

Sign stepped forward, knowing that she wouldn't have much of a choice, and was unsurprised to hear the door shut and the lock click into place. Sigyn opened the door to her right, finding a bathroom. She closed the door, stepping forward to the space beyond the hallway. It wasn't a large area, just enough room for a bed shoved against the right wall and the chair to the desk to sit in the middle of the room.

Sigyn stepped up to the desk, reaching out to feel the fabric of the clothing that lay folded. It didn't seem like a particularly comfortable fabric, but it would be much better than laying around in her dress, no matter how pretty it was.

Sigyn undressed then redressed in the supplied clothing, happy to find that they weren't uncomfortable or itchy, but they were an unpleasing grey color. They weren't white at least, not like the ones she had worn before. She looked around the room again, unsurprised to find nothing more, not even a spec of dust.

She was surprised at the accommodations she had been given. She knew her escape, or rescue from her viewpoint, must have really annoyed some people. She had been expecting something a lot less comfortable.

Sigyn sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed. She sat there for a few moments, preparing for the next steps, the part that was going to be imperative so save thousands of lives. When she was ready, she laid back on the bed, her head resting gently on the pillow as she focused her energy on the people surrounding her, on everyone within the scope of her mental ability.

It was an extremely long and straining process, but it was important and needed to be done. This plan, saving Loki, saving the world, the universe even, all depended on how convincing she and Loki could be.

After a time, she stopped. By no means had she completed what she had wanted, but the strain on her mind was becoming too much to handle. She released her hold, keeping her eyes closed as her mind relaxed. She had started it and building on top of something that was already created would be much easier.

Sigyn drifted off to sleep, her body and mind needing the rest to gain energy. When she woke, she sat up, moving to the desk chair, before deciding to test something. She reached out with her mind once more, but instead of looking into their mind or building on what she had created earlier, she pulled the energy from the space around her. She had known that she could pull energy from her surroundings, had felt the power grow as Loki tossed his magic at her, but testing it now, surrounded by thousands of people, machines that had taken time and energy to create, was more than she expected.

When she pulled all that energy in on herself, she was nearly overwhelmed by the amount that came barreling back at her. She balked, losing her concentration, and the energy dissipated.

Sigyn took a deep breath, laughing softly as she realized what had happened, that she had pulled all that energy out of the space around her. She knew she should probably save her mental energy, that she needed to make sure her part of the plan went as it should, but the fact that she could pull the energy and power from the space around her was something that could help her in the long run.

She stopped using that energy, digging, instead, deep into her mind where her bond with Loki stood out starkly. The small golden thread that had connected their minds had grown, now appearing as a strong rope. She was pleased to see how strong it had become.

She had only really started to get to know Loki these past couple of weeks, learning about a small part of his past and the personality he hid so deeply. Sigyn knew that the rough exterior was just a shield of protection. He had felt betrayed by his brother, his father. That had led him on a dark path, a path, Sigyn knew from experience, that was hard to step off of.

And that man, that terrible man she had caught sight of in Loki's mind, had done nothing but allow that hate to fester and turn into a wound that wouldn't heal. And it was through that wound that the infection had started.

But, upon following that golden rope, Sigyn could see that Loki's mind was now very close to being his own once again. He was still affected, as she expected he would be for a very long time, but that control on his mind had diminished enough that Loki no longer would fall under their thralls again. His thoughts were mostly his own, and when they weren't he could push them away. Just enough of that control remained for the other's to believe he was still on their side.

She was proud of him, truly. From what she remembered from the first time they met, he had been on the edge of insanity. He was great at acting, she had to admit. To let everyone think that he was doing those terrible things because he wanted to, allowing them to think and say terrible things about him, took a lot of strength. Sigyn knew that she would have a hard time succeeding at doing what he did, and she had almost 200 years' worth of practice on deceiving people. Loki truly knew what he was doing.

The connection they had, especially because it had grown stronger, allowed Sigyn to know Loki's true thoughts on a basic level. She had to concentrate, meditate, to be able to feel down that golden rope that connected them. Sigyn could tell, deep in his thoughts and heart, he truly did not wish to be something people feared. He had been tired of standing in his brother's shadow, of watching as each thing Thor did was revered. He felt guilt for wanting his brother gone, sadness that even as Loki held on with just his fingertips, Thor still could not understand.

But Loki was tired of all the fighting. He wanted his brother's attention, wanted to feel loved, like he belonged somewhere. He wanted this war, the war that hadn't even started, to end. And Sigyn couldn't agree more, though her reasons for stopping the war were much different.

Sigyn was angry, so angry at this entire facility, at life and the hand she had been dealt. Fifty years ago, she had been Sigyn, working, living. But she had also been dying inside. She had seen her friends, her family, wither away, die, and be forgotten. She remembered them, kept them alive in her memory, but that was nothing compared to the pain they left her with, especially when each death hit her harder than the last.

And then, then, she had been taken after trying to save that mother and child's life. She had been taken, tortured, thrown into cell after cell, starved to the point of losing basic functions and memory, and then experimented on with a power source that she didn't know would start a war.

For a quarter of her life, she had been at the mercy of this place, of S.H.I.E.L.D. and now she would make sure that they would hurt for what they did to her.

And those thoughts brought back every detail of being tortured, everything she had forgotten, suppressed. She could feel her power start to churn, fighting to escape her tight hold. She felt it pulse with each of heartbeats, pounding against her chest, her limbs, her brain, and her mind. The air around her was starting to become charged, power gathering in the small space of the room. She could feel the crackle as it lashed out, trying to destroy something, to be released.

The battle in Sigyn's mind that had been trying to cope with the memories that forced themselves upon her, now turned to a struggle to contain the most dangerous magic she had. She fought it with all her might, her mind a mess of thoughts, emotions, memories.

But there, so deep it was in her very soul, a soft voice spoke.

" _It will all be okay. They can't hurt you anymore."_

At that sound, at the presence that she knew so well now, she felt her anger start to ebb.

" _I know it will be hard," he continued. "But this would not work out well for our plan. If we want to get what we want you need to calm down."_

As the words flowed through her mind, so did his soothing presence. It took a few moments, but eventually, the spiral of her thoughts and memories slowed, allowing themselves to be put in a rightful place, somewhere Sigyn would be able to go through and deal with later.

She felt the power around her slowly relax, sinking back into her. Once it was all clear and her mind felt much better, Sigyn sent a gentle, _"Thank you,"_ back.

There were no more words, just an acknowledgment of the gratitude, before his presence disappeared once more.

Sigyn had suspected that the bond between herself and Loki would be strong enough to communicate through without touching or being near each other. She had no idea that it would progress that quickly. It made her happy to think that the both of them, should they need it, could talk to the other in a matter of seconds. It was an amazing feeling to be so connected to each other.

After several minutes of deep breaths, Sigyn sat on the edge of the bed, feet on the ground, hands resting on her legs and closed her eyes. She felt thousands of minds, all buzzing with emotions, but she locked onto two familiar ones. Stark and Captain Rogers.

And Sigyn started the second step of her plan.


	20. Tension

The ship was impressive, almost anyone could say that excluding Thor. In his world, this technology would almost be considered primitive. But humans were amazing creatures. Just one hundred years ago televisions didn't exist, let alone a working passenger airplane. But humans, being resourceful to a point of recklessness, had advanced faster than any other beings ever had before. Ninety-nine years after the invention of the passenger plane, a monstrous flying aircraft carrier was almost undetectable by anyone who didn't have the clearance to know it was there. And that flying aircraft held over a thousand people and thousands of tons of equipment. Humans really had advanced quickly.

Advancement, while great for any species, was something humans tended to be particularly good at. And because of that, in a room that was surrounded in windows, two men measured dangerous readings off a scepter that had been brought to Earth from another world.

"The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports of the Tesseract. But it's going to take weeks to process." Doctor Bruce Banner stood by the scepter, a device in his hand as he studied the glowing blue portion of the scepter. He was speaking to Tony Stark, who stood at an interesting looking computer, tapping buttons and speaking at the same time.

"If we bypass their mainframe and direct route to the Homer cluster, we can clock this at around 600 teraflops," Tony answered.

"Heh," said Bruce, looking at Tony. "And all I packed was a toothbrush."

Tony gave a little laugh, walking towards the doctor. Picking up a sharp-looking object along the way. "You know, you should come by Stark Tower sometime. Top ten floors, all R&D. You'd love it. It's Candy Land."

"Thanks, but the last time I was in New York, I kind of broke Harlem." Bruce hesitated at the last part, memories of what had happened flashing through his mind.

"Well, I promise a stress-free environment," Tony said. "No tension, no surprises." And with those words, Tony poked Bruce with the object he had picked up earlier.

"Ow!" Bruce exclaimed, turning to look at Tony. Tony watched him intently, expecting Bruce to become angry enough to turn into the Hulk.

"Hey!" Shouted Steve Rogers from the door, storming in after seeing the display.

"Nothing?" Tony asked Bruce.

Captain America strode forward, asking "Are you nuts?"

"Jury's out," Tony replied, glancing at the Captain briefly before turning back to Bruce. "You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz, bongo drums, huge bag of weed?"

"Is everything a joke to you?"

Tony looked towards Steve at his question, pointing the sharp object at him. "Funny things are."

"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny. No offense Doc," Steve said, softening his voice slightly.

"It's all right, I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things." He looked towards Tony for a moment, before looking back at the computer he was working on.

"You're tip-toeing, big man." Tony walked away from Bruce. "You need to strut."

Steve immediately intersected. "And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark."

"Do you think I'm not?" Tony picked up a silver bag of blueberries, and walked closer to Steve, looking directly at him. "Why did Fury call us in? Why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables."

"You think Fury's hiding something?" Steve's voice wasn't disbelieving, just curious.

"He's a spy. Captain, he's _the_ spy. His secrets have secrets. It's bugging him, too. Isn't it?" Tony pointed to Bruce, looking over at him.

Bruce looked up at Tony, his face showing his reluctance to get in the middle of the conversation. "Uhh, I just want to finish my work here, and-," he was cut off by Steve.

"Doctor?"

Bruce took his glasses off, looking at the table instead of at the two men, their eyes now trained on him. "' A warm light for all mankind.' Loki's jab at Fury about the Cube."

"I heard it."

"I think it's meant for you." Bruce pointed to Tony. Tony offered the bag of blueberries to the other man, and Bruce took a handful as he continued talking. "Even if Barton didn't tell Loki about the tower, it was still all over the news."

"The Stark Tower? That big ugly..." Tony turned to look at Steve. "Building in New York?"

Bruce elaborated. "It's powered by an arc reactor. A self-sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for what, a year?"

"It's just the prototype." Tony turned from Bruce, directing his next words at Steve. "I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now. That's what he's getting at."

"So, why didn't S.H.I.E.L.D. bring him in on the Tesseract project?" Bruce looked at Steve as he spoke. "What are they doing in the energy business in the first place?"

Tony walked around Bruce, walking closer to Steve as he pulled a device out of his back pocket. "I should probably look into that once my decryption program finishes breaking into all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secure files."

"I'm sorry. Did you say-," Steve began.

"Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours, I'll know every dirty secret S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever tried to hide. Blueberry?" Tony offered Steve the bag.

Steve didn't acknowledge the offer, just looked right into Tony's eyes as he questioned him. "Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around."

"An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not awesome."

"I think Loki's trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war and if we don't stay focused, he'll succeed. We have orders. We should follow them."

"Following's not really my style."

"And you're all about style, aren't you?"

"Of the people in this room, which one is, A, wearing a spangly outfit, and, B, not of use?"

"Steve," Bruce interrupted. "Tell me none of this smells a little funky to you. What about that woman that was with Loki? Fury didn't tell us anything about her, yet she's here."

"Just find the cube," Steve said briskly, before quickly moving to the door.

Steve walked out of the room, the door opening automatically for him. He walked several paces out the door before pausing, a look of concentration on his face. After a moment, he turned, walking down the hallway with a purpose.

He stopped a passing worker, asking him for directions to the next place he would visit, before continuing down the hall and to an elevator. On the floor that the woman had told him, Steve stepped out and walked down the long hallway filled with doors set twelve feet apart. After several moments of walking, Steve approached a door, guarded by two men. They stood on either side of the door looking straight ahead.

"Is this where the woman that was brought in with Loki is being held?"

"Yes sir," said the guard to the right. Steve looked at him.

"I want to talk to her."

There was a pause, the two men hesitating, and Steve looked directly into the man's eyes. "That woman was brought in with Loki, she has to know something."

Another pause, this one much shorter, before both men said "Yes sir," and the one to the right turned, tapping the keypad. The door clicked and Steve reached for the handle, pushing the door open.

He stepped inside observing the room, and the quiet that that seemed to envelop everything. He stepped towards the inside of the room, turning to look at the door as it slid closed behind him. He advanced farther into the room, attentive in case the girl was as dangerous as S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed to think.

But she didn't jump out at him as he rounded the corner. In fact, she didn't even seem to move from where she sat on the neatly made bed. Her eyes were closed, her back straight, socked feet flat on the ground, hands in her lap.

Steve took the chair from the desk and turned it to face where she sat. He watched the breath in her body, the complete stillness that seemed to hang in the charged air around her. She didn't look like much to be afraid of. She was thin, the clothes that she was wearing hanging on her small frame in odd ways.

Steve looked away, studying the room once more, and finding nothing more than what he had already seen. When her turned back to the girl, he saw her eyes staring right down into his soul.

"Captain Rogers," she said, her voice soft as she nodded her head once in acknowledgment.

Steve straightened up, unsure as to how this girl could know his name. "How...?" He started to ask, studying her, trying to find any indication of an outside source giving her information. He stopped when he realized that her eyes held the heaviness of age, the weight of the world, just like he did. He had felt that tremendous force press on his shoulders, both now and in the past.

"I can't read your mind, if that's what you're thinking," she said with a twitch of her lips. She pushed herself farther on the bed until her back rested against the wall, her legs crossed, hands in her lap. "I knew you, from before."

"Before?"

She didn't answer, only closed her eyes for a moment before looking back at him. "Saving all those soldiers on your own. Sacrificing yourself to keep the world safe from the tesseract. It was all truly inspiring."

"You say that like you were there."

"I was." The girl took a deep breath, and the faint smile that had been on her face before dropped into coldness. "You and I both look very good for our age."

There was a long moment in which neither said a word. Then finally Steve spoke. "Do you have a name?"

She snorted, a smile flitting across her lips. "Of course I have a name. I've had a lot of names, but the most recent is Sigyn."

"Why are you here?"

Sigyn's smile grew. "Why are _you_ here?"

"To stop Loki from taking over the world."

"No, Captain Rogers. That's why I'm here. I'm trying to save the world by saving him."

That gave Steve pause. "I thought you were working with Loki to cause a war."

"Oh, I am. He's trying to break S.H.I.E.L.D., and I'm just offering him my help. That doesn't mean I want the world destroyed."

"But S.H.I.E.L.D. is trying to protect everyone from _him_."

"Are they really? Is that why they started experimenting with the tesseract? Is that why they decided I would be a great test subject? There's a lot more to S.H.I.E.L.D. than you think there is."

Steve looked shocked, his face slack for a moment before it tensed up, his body going rigid as he thought through everything he had seen, what Tony and Bruce had said.

"You were a test subject?"

Sigyn's face dropped, her smile turning to a frown, her eyebrows drawn together, lips slightly parted.

"Unfortunately."

"What did they do to you?"

"Sorry, but I don't share my personal life with just anyone. But you should follow your instincts. You know there's something going on here, the fact that you came to speak to me is proof of that. Find out what it is, bring it to light. You'd be doing yourself, and me, a huge favor."

Steve felt a sudden need to leave the room, like he was uncomfortable and needed to escape as quickly as possible. He stood, putting the chair back to where it was, and knocked on the door to be opened. He didn't know why he needed to leave so quickly, but he did know that Sigyn had been right. There was some weird stuff going on and to back that up it required him to find real proof, not just the word of a prisoner.

He started searching.

* * *

Across the entire ship, computers were sounding the alarm about a security risk. Everyone knew it was happening, but not many people would have guessed it was one of the so-called Avengers. Fury knew though, having observed Tony Stark do many amazing things, and who else would have the technology to break through layers of security and firewalls?

Fury stormed into the lab where Tony and Bruce were trying to track the Tesseract. "What are you doing, Mr. Stark?"

"Uhhh, kind of been wondering the same thing about you." Tony didn't move from where he was seated on one of the work tables.

"You're supposed to locating the Tesseract."

"We are," said Bruce immediately. Director Fury looked at the monitor that was tracking the Tesseract. "The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile.

Tony watched as Fury turned, looking in the direction Bruce had pointed. "Yeah, then you get your cube back. No muss, no fuss. What is Phase 2?"

The clanking of metal on metal caused the three men to turn and look toward the sound. Steve stood next to a table, having slammed an advanced looking gun onto it. "Phase 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the cube to make weapons. Including locking up a woman and testing the cube's power on her. Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me."

Fury addressed Steve, using as calm a voice as he could to try to deescalate the mounting tension in the room. "Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract, including the girl. This does not mean that we're making-," Fury said, only to be interrupted by Tony.

"I'm sorry, Nick. What were you lying?" Tony stood, swiveling the screen that had been in front of him to face Fury, showing plans and documents and proof of phase 2.

"I was wrong, Director," Steve said as Fury looked towards the door. Thor and Natasha had walked in, trying to take stock of the situation. "The world hasn't changed a bit."

"Did you know about this?" Tony asked, gesturing towards Natasha.

She didn't answer him, instead turning towards Bruce. "You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?"

"I was in Calcutta," Bruce said with an unamused laugh. "I was pretty well removed."

"Loki is manipulating you," Natasha said as she took a step forward.

Bruce rebutted. "And you've been doing what, exactly?"

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you," she responded.

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy." Bruce walks over to the same screen Tony had turned around, pointing to the display of weapons and plans that had been uncovered. "I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is experimenting on people with the Tesseract, and then using it to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of him." Fury pointed his finger directly at Thor.

Thor, very confused because he had yet to say a word during the entire conversation, questioned him. "Me?"

Fury didn't direct his next words at Thor, but towards the entire room. "Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet," Thor was quick to defend, having no knowledge of there ever being a battle that involved Earth.

"You may say that," answered Fury. "But one of your people has been on this planet for two hundred years. And you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, and just like that girl, who can't be controlled."

"Like you controlled the cube?" Questioned Steve.

"One of my people? Is it the woman that was with Loki?" Thor paused, his eyes burning into Fury. "Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?" Asked Steve, confused as to what could be worse than the wars he had seen.

Fury, looking directly at Fury said, "You forced our hand. We had to come up with something."

"A nuclear deterrent and experiments on an innocent woman. Because that always calms everything right down." Tony responded, displeased about the plans he had seen.

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?"

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep-," began Steve, but was interrupted by Tony.

"Wait, wait. Hold on. How is this about me?"

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?"

Thor butted in, looking at Fury as he said, "I thought humans were more evolved than this."

"Excuse me, did we come to your planet to blow stuff up?" Was Fury's response.

"You treat your champions with such mistrust."

"You boys really that naive?" Asked Natasha, looking a Thor. "S.H.I.E.L.D. monitors potential threats."

Bruce, with a disbelieving face, asked Natasha, "Captain America's on threat watch?"

"We all are." Answered Natasha.

"Wait, you're on that list? Are you above or below angry bees?" Asked Tony.

"Stark, so help me God, if you make one more wisecrack-," Steve began.

"Threat! Verbal threat. I feel threatened." Tony said loudly.

Things were escalating, Thor, Natasha, Tony, and Steve all crowded around Fury as they argued and accused each other. What they didn't know was that the next step in Loki and Sigyn's plan was almost upon them.

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos," Thor accused Fury.

"That's his M.O., int it?" Bruce asked, drawing Fury's attention. "I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a time bomb."

"You need to step away," Fury said forcefully.

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony asked, looking around at the rest of the group, placing his hand on Steve's shoulder.

"You know damn well why. Back off!" Steve knocked Tony's hand off.

"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me," Tony said, looking at Steve and he walked around him.

"Yeah. Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

"I think I would just cut the wire."

There was a small silence in which Steve smiled and looked briefly at Bruce.

"Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

"A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle." Tony stepped closer to Steve, now less than a foot apart.

"Put on the suit. Let's go a few rounds."

Thor, having heard enough, started chuckling. "You people are so petty and tiny."

"Yeah, this is a team," said Bruce.

Fury finally cut back in. "Agent Romanoff, would you escort Doctor Banner back to his-,"

"Where?" Bruce asked. "You rented my room."

"The cell was just in case-,"

"I case you needed to kill me. But you can't. I know, I tried. I got low. I didn't see an end. So, I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk. You want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You want to know how I stay calm?"

Everyone was on edge as Bruce picked up Loki's scepter as he spoke.

"Doctor Banner. Put down the scepter." Steve's voice was deadly calm but full of fear.

Bruce looked down at the scepter in his hand, confused as to how it had come to be in his grasp. But before anyone said anything else, the computer beeped, drawing everyone but Natasha's attention.

"Got it," said Tony.

"Sorry guys," Bruce said as he sat the scepter back on the table and walked to the computer that had beeped. "You don't get to see my party trick after all."

Several decks below, Sigyn was smiling.


	21. Escape

They were fighting, their angry emotions blowing everything out of proportion. But it was controlled. There was no need for them to start throwing punches just yet, but the time was coming. Sigyn's smile grew as the group of people's emotions started to burn completely red with anger. Just like she planned.

Sigyn stood and quickly walked to the door, reaching another strand of her mind to the two guards that were standing just outside. It wasn't time yet, she still had a minute or two before she knew everything was going to start, but she wanted to be sure that they didn't panic at the first sign of trouble, that they didn't leave her stuck in the room, alone, while destruction would reign. She needed to be sure that someone with the passcode for her door was there when everything started.

She could try to blast the door apart with her power, but there was no guarantee that it would work. Sigyn was sure there was probably an alarm on the door too. Any disturbance would cause it to go off, bringing any person in the vicinity racing towards her. Even if there wasn't an alarm, the sound of bending metal would sure bring people to investigate.

And then the whole room shuddered, and Sigyn triggered the thought she had planted in the guard's minds. Only a second later, before the ship had truly stopped shaking, the door slid open and one of the guards said, "Follow me."

Without a second of hesitation Sigyn followed the man, not exactly sure where they were going, but happy none the less that she wasn't stuck in that room after all.

The halls were full of people running back and forth, shouting to each other and into their radios as the loud sirens went off across the whole ship. The second that no one else was around them, Sigyn dug in their minds deep, closing her eyes, and forcing sleep to overtake them.

She had only used her control over emotions so forcefully once, and that had been to kill the doctor that had been responsible for her torture. Sigyn wasn't sure what damage, if any, had been done to the two men, but at that moment she didn't care. They worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. and that was enough. Really, they were lucky she hadn't killed them outright.

Sigyn didn't bother to try to hide the two men, or even conceal herself. Instead, she pulled on her inner emotions, allowing fear to surface and take over just enough. She ran through the halls, her face pale and scared, her movements jerky and frantic.

She followed that thread in her mind, reaching closer to it to make sure she was going in the right direction. Groups of agents and soldiers passed her, some giving her weird looks, but most just passing her to get to their stations without a second glance.

From above, Sigyn could feel a group of men, who didn't belong to S.H.I.E.L.D., make their way through corridors. With the group was Clint Barton, a man Sigyn had become familiar with despite being under Loki's control. They had their mission, and Sigyn knew that not all of them would be making it off the ship alive.

But Sigyn's mind shifted to an area with more emotion. The monster within the brilliant scientist's mind had been released, now located on the same level Sigyn was on. He was in a part of the ship that didn't have main corridors, but as Sigyn felt him get closer, she veered in another direction. She was good at manipulating emotions, at helping people become calm and angry, but that beast was out of her control. There was so much rage there, too much emotion for Sigyn to safely try and control. That kind of emotion could completely consume her.

In the same area, she felt the woman that had been in the cockpit of the aircraft that had brought her in. The woman, while terrified, was acting very calm. She was desperate to stay away from the beast, but training and muscle memory helped keep her safe. There was a moment in which both the woman and Sigyn feared that the monster would claim her life, but Thor, approaching the area quickly, knocked the monster away before any real harm could come to her. Sigyn was sure the fight between the monster and Thor would be a good one, but her focus was once again drawn elsewhere.

Above, where Sigyn could only assume was the control center with the amount of people and concentration, the team that had come to cause a distraction finally made their way inside. As she predicted, Sigyn felt the life quickly drained from several men. Sigyn could mourn and feel guilty all she wanted soon, but right now, there were bigger problems.

She felt the monster that had been ripping through the ship quickly falling away from it. That was good news, the danger to everyone on this aircraft had diminished, but that also meant the primary distraction was gone as well.

Sigyn had been half focused on what was going on around the other places of the ship and half focused on where she was walking. All her attention was back to her surroundings as the entire aircraft started to tip and panic took over almost every mind on the ship. That, in turn, started to affect Sigyn's emotions.

While she had allowed the fear to show through enough to make her panic look believable, this was a whole different emotion. There were only a few that Sigyn couldn't control, one of those being panic. Feeling it around her, from every person aboard the aircraft, allowed her own feelings of panic, once small and locked away in a tight little box, to be suddenly shoved into the front of her brain, full force.

Tears prickled her eyes as she started running as quickly as she could towards Loki, surprised to find him not far. She ran into the room, finding Loki just stepping out from the glass prison. She rushed up to him, and his face morphed from quiet amusement to worry. When Sigyn stopped in front of him, Loki reached forward and gently held her face between his hands.

"What's wrong?" He asked quickly.

"It's too much," Sigyn said as tears flowed down her face and between Loki's fingers. She reached up and gripped each of Loki's wrists. "It's pressing in, I can't control it."

"Deep breath," Loki said after a moment, taking a deep breath himself. "Three deep breaths then use your might to push it all away."

Sigyn, seeing no other way to help, did as Loki suggested. On her first breath, she looked Loki directly in the eye, seeing only himself and none of that control she hoped was finally gone. On her second breath, Sigyn closed her eyes, feeling Loki's hands on her face, his wrists beneath her hands, the slight movement of the aircraft around her. On her third breath, Sigyn let go of her control, let go of the emotions that surrounded her and pushed back. By her fourth breath, the panic was gone but Thor was coming.

"He's almost here," Sigyn whispered into the silence.

Loki, knowing exactly what she meant let go of her face and took her hand, leading her to a large platform with a control panel. They had just stepped onto the platform when Thor's footsteps rounded the corner and Sigyn turned to see a second Loki being released from the glass cell.

"NO!" Yelled Thor, rushing forward to tackle Loki back into the cell. But Thor fell right through Loki's illusion, falling to the floor. One of Loki's agents quickly closed the door as soon as Thor was inside.

Thor turned to look at Loki, obviously standing outside the cell. Loki stared at Thor calmly, his hands neatly folded behind his back, Sigyn's hand resting in the bend of his left elbow. She still looked a mess, her large clothes hanging from her body, dried tear tracks on her reddened face, and hair falling out of the up-do it had been in.

"Are you ever not going to fall for that?" Loki asked, a tone of brotherly affection hinted in his voice.

Thor, angered at his brother's words, rushed towards the glass wall and swung Mjolnir at it. It cracked immediately, causing the cell the shake. Loki and Sigyn both braced themselves as they watched the contraptions that held the cell in place begin to falter. After a moment, Loki smiled, then laughed.

Loki turned as Sigyn stepped away from the cell and approached the control panel. "The humans think us immortal. Should we test that?"

The sound of a man in pain, then a body dropping to the ground drew the attention of the three. Sigyn backed away from the man who was holding a rather large gun, and instinctively threw up a wide invisible shield. She was surprised at it, all her shields having been colored in some way, but she chalked it up to practice.

"Move away please," said the man as Sigyn reached her mind out to his. He felt familiar, though she couldn't tell how. If she had to guess, Sigyn would say that she had encountered him during the time she had been delirious with starvation.

Loki backed away slowly as the man walked closer. Sigyn adjusted her shield so the man would not collide with it. There was no reason for this man to know that they were all protected.

"Like this?" the man said, walking closer and closer. "We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Do you want to find out?" With those last words, the man activated the gun to warm up, causing the barrel to glow with an orange color.

But before the man could do anything, another Loki, the real Loki and not the illusion that had taken his place the moment everyone was looking away from him, pushed his spear through the man's heart.

"NO!" Screamed Thor and Sigyn at the same time. Immediately Sigyn dropped her barrier, confused at how Loki had gotten past her senses, and in shock at what she had just seen him do. Loki walked forward, back to the control panel and lifted the covering for the button that would drop the cell.

"Loki," Sigyn said weakly, her eyes darting quickly to Thor than back to Loki. "Please don't."

But Loki only glanced at her for a second before his eyes found Thor's. The metal beneath the cell retracted and Sigyn rushed forward to grab Loki's hand. But Loki pressed the button faster than Sigyn anticipated, dropping the cell, and Thor, from the airship.

"Loki," Sigyn whispered, her heart and voice broken.

"You're going to lose," said a slightly slurred voice from behind them. Loki and Sigyn turned to look. It was the man Loki had stabbed.

"Am I?"

"It's in your nature," the man explained.

"Your heroes are scattered. Your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?"

"You lack conviction."

"I don't think I'm-," Loki started, but was interrupted from a blast from the man's gun.

"Loki!" Sigyn screamed, rushing to the wall Loki had been slammed through.

"So, that's what it does," Sigyn just barely heard the man say as she climbed through the hole into the wall and onto a grated platform.

"We must hurry," said Loki as he stood, climbing back out of the hole and to the entrance of the room Sigyn was right beside him, happy to see a man waiting to guide them to a shuttle for their escape.

They were led up to the flight deck, then to an aircraft exactly like they had arrived in. Loki took a second to make sure Sigyn was strapped into a seat before telling the pilot to go.

Sigyn, while impressed by how well he had taken being shot by that energy gun, was already over the macho man display, glaring at Loki as he buckled her harness.

"I can take care of myself you know," Sigyn said, her voice hard and unwavering.

Loki took a seat beside her, watching out of the closing door as the aircraft took off. "Is that why you ran to me like a blubbering child?"

Sigyn was taken aback by the harshness in his tone. At the time, her mind had been overrun by panic, fear, and pain. She had never been able to stop panic, especially in large masses, only able to shove her own into a bottle that could be opened when it was safe. She had avoided riots and large gatherings for that reason. Protests rarely turned out to be peaceful, and law enforcement would come out by the hundreds. When things started getting bad there was always panic and fear. It had overwhelmed her because she had let her barriers down. Both to make her fear look real, and to find Loki easier.

"Go to hell," Sigyn said, turning her head to look straight in front of her, not acknowledging Loki when he looked at her, nor when he tried to speak to her. The rest of the flight was filled with only the sounds of the engine.

* * *

Everything had seemed weird for a while. Clint Barton could tell for sure that whatever mind control he had been under had messed with his mind. Things had shifted just slightly to the left. He wasn't in control of his body, yet he was. The thoughts he had weren't his own, except they were. Loki had put a spin on his mind.

When he woke up, most of the control was already gone. But there was still a little there, just enough to drive him insane. He fought it, knowing that Natasha was sitting there, next to him.

"Clint. You're going to be alright."

"You know that? Is that what you know?" He asked, a chuckle in his voice as Natasha moved to the sink beside Clint. "I've got no window. I have to flush him out." As he said that, the world started becoming normal, back into place, though it was a struggle to get it there.

"You got to level out. It's going to take time."

"You don't understand." He took a breath. "Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and stuff something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade?

Natasha looked at Clint. "You know that I do."

At that, Clint paused, really thinking about what was happening. What she said had snapped him out of the brainwashing he had been subjected to. "Why am I back? How did you get him out?"

"Cognitive recalibration." Natasha moved to sit at the foot of Clint's bed. "I hit you really hard on the head."

"Thanks." Natasha reached down to start unstrapping Clint's hands, seeing that he was no longer fighting to be in control of himself. "Natasha, how many agents did I-,"

"Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic, and nothing we were ever trained for."

"Loki, Sigyn, did they get away?"

"Yeah. I don't suppose you know where."

"I didn't need to know." Natasha stands and sits back in the chair she was occupying previously. "I didn't ask, but something tells me New York. He's going to make his play soon though. Today." He turned in the bed, reaching for the cup of water on the sink beside the bed.

"We got to stop him."

"Yeah? Who's we?"

"I don't know. Whoever's left."

"Well, if I put an arrow through Loki's eye socket, I would sleep better I suppose."

"Now you sound like you." She sat next to him on the bed, looking at him, happy to have her friend back.

"But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you?"

"He didn't. I just-," she stopped, looking down.

"Natasha," Clint whispered, seeing that she was truly struggling with something.

"I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out." There was a pause. "What was it like? Being under his control? What was he like?"

"It was weird. I was myself, yet I wasn't. I still had my personality, but everything I wanted to do was whatever Loki wanted. A lot of it is hard to remember. The girl was there, Sigyn. Fury told me that she was dangerous, that she had to be watched. She wasn't what I expected and Loki was calmer when she was around. It just doesn't make sense."

"Sense or not, it'll all have to end."


	22. Before Battle

Liz was waiting when the car pulled up to the hotel. Sigyn stepped out first, not waiting as Loki followed behind.

Sigyn looked up and down the street. The roads were relatively empty, the traffic in and out of the hotel was much less than Sigyn would have expected for a top-rated extended stay tower of suites. The city that never sleeps seemed to have quieted down, no distant sound of cars or subways rumbling beneath the streets.

"It worked then," Sigyn said.

"Just like you said it would," Liz answered, smiling at her.

"If there's something I've learned after living 200 years it's that people really don't like being around areas that are expected to explode. I'm glad they took the hint." Sigyn looked up, finding the blue jet of light that shot up into the sky.

It wasn't a portal yet, but it would be within the next few hours. After spending hours talking to Loki about the best way to save people's lives but also make sure that the invasion still happened, Sigyn knew a warning signal would get most people moving. There would always be the idiots who didn't take the signs, but this way Sigyn knew they were going to be trying to save as many lives as possible.

Sigyn didn't acknowledge Loki as he came to stand beside her. Instead, she turned away and walked into the hotel. "Which room are we set up in? I need to change out of these clothes and take a nap before everything starts to happen."

"I'll show you." Sigyn followed Liz to the elevator, glaring at Loki as he followed as well.

The elevator ride was tense as it climbed up ten floors before stopping with a _ding._ Liz stepped out and the other two followed. Three doors down the hall stood a man dressed in a black combat outfit, and Sigyn guessed that would be the suite that had been set up for them. Liz took a keycard from her pocket, opening the door, and allowed Sigyn to step into the lavish front room.

It was nicer than most places Sigyn had stepped foot in. Her childhood home had been well decorated, but this was rich. Two couches, a television, a beautiful oak table with matching chairs. In the bedroom, Liz had directed her to was a large oak bed, and more furnishings than Sigyn could imagine using.

After a few moments taking in the room, Sigyn grabbed some clothes from a folded stack on the dresser and went into the attached bathroom for a shower. When she had redressed, she re-entered the bedroom, only to find Loki sitting in an armchair, staring forlornly out the window.

"I apologize if my comment from earlier hurt you." Sigyn stared at the side of his face for a moment, surprised to hear the words come out of his mouth.

"I appreciate you saying that, but it's not the only reason I'm angry."

Sigyn stocked over to the dresser, picking up the brush and pulling it through her hair.

"What is it that you're angry about?"

"You killed that man."

"Indeed I did."

"There was no reason for that. He was just trying to stop you from dropping Thor."

"I couldn't let him stop me."

Sigyn finished brushing her hair and put the brush back down with a snap. "But there was still no reason to kill him."

Loki didn't say anything as Sigyn walked to the window, pulled the curtains shut, then walked to the bed. She pulled the covers down as she forcefully said, "And what was that with your brother? There was no need to be so cruel to him."

"We needed him out of the way."

"And he was pretty well out of the way. But then you had to go and drop him out of an aircraft over _ten thousand feet in the air!"_ Sigyn paused, taking a deep breath, then climbed into the bed. Sigyn switched the lights off and turned on her side to face Loki. She could see him from the faint light showing through the curtains.

"I know it probably wasn't all you, that whoever has you under mind control is still affecting you. We both know all that with Thor was more than that. I know you have resentment and anger towards him, but he's still your brother. But that's for a later conversation. I'm exhausted and so are you. We both know they will be here soon. You might as well rest up before they get here."

Loki didn't say anything, and Sigyn couldn't see his expression in the dim light. She didn't feel like using her energy to find out what he was thinking. She needed rest if the battle was about to begin. He deserved privacy anyway.

"Wake me up in an hour, would you?"

* * *

In the end, there was no need for Loki to wake Sigyn from her short sleep. A sudden pulse of energy rushed into the bedroom, causing Sigyn to startle awake so violently she fell to the floor. She knew that energy had become very accustomed to it. It was the cube, the cube that had shown her the path she was now taking. Sigyn stood, looking to were Loki was still sitting in the armchair. From the look on his face, she knew that he had felt the pulse too.

"The army is ready," Loki said.

Sigyn nodded. "Then it's time we get started."

Out of the dresser, Sigyn pulled out simple clothes, durable and sturdy because Sigyn knew this battle was going to be destructive. Loki had left the bedroom by the time Sigyn stepped out of the bathroom, and she heard his voice through the slightly open bedroom door.

His voice was soft when he spoke. "...responsibility. You are to protect her, no matter the cost. If one Chitauri harms her, this battle will be the last thing any of you experience."

After a moment, a collective "Yes sir," filled the room, followed by the slamming of the outside door. Sigyn left the room, unsurprised to find Loki in the same green armor he had worn in Germany.

Loki caught her entrance into the room out of the corner of his eye and turn to look at her. "I don't care that you can take care of yourself. You're not to argue this arrangement."

"I wasn't going to."

Loki studied her, looking at her expression to make sure she was telling the truth, the sturdy clothing she was wearing along with the boots covering her feet. In turn, she studied him. Instead of her eyes running over his face and clothing, she focused on his mind, finding his emotions neatly arranged, locked away. He was focused, ready for the first sign that the group of heroes from S.H.I.E.L.D. had followed the clues and finally made their way to Stark Tower.

"You listen to me," Sigyn said, stepping forward until there was a foot of space between them. She looked up at him, and he down at her, as Sigyn pointed a single finger at his chest. "I don't care how hard they try to take your mind from you again. I don't care if they dig up old feelings or memories or try to torture you. Whatever they do, you fight like hell. You are mine now. You do what you have to do. But don't let them take you from me."

Sigyn's eyes remained dry though she was sure a small tear had almost escaped from the corner of Loki's eye. The bond between them thrummed with energy. The combination of Loki's closeness and the deep connection of the bond caused Sigyn's heart to start beating so hard she was sure Loki would hear it. Her face warmed in excitement.

"Remember what I taught you. Allow no one close enough to do you harm. The Chitauri are relentless, do not fear your power. Trust your instincts. Never have you seen a battle like this, do not let it overwhelm you. I have become dependent on your presence. I don't intend to lose it."

Sigyn reached forward, smoothing a piece of Loki's hair back into place. She smiled faintly, thinking that his hair probably took more maintenance than hers did. On seeing the small smile grace Sigyn's lips, Loki reached forward to frame Sigyn's face with his hands. As he tilted her head up, he bent down, his breath gently brushing over his lips. Sigyn held her breath and Loki purposefully paused for effect before he finally closed the distance.

In that moment, everything Sigyn had been worrying about, everything from her past, disappeared. The only thing that mattered was this moment, this small slice of time that was completely theirs. His hands-on her face was firm, holding her in place where she might have melted. The hand that had been pointing at his chest now rested there, just over his racing heart. She brought her other hand around his neck, pulling him down farther, wanting to draw him as close as she could.

Sigyn was vaguely aware of the door clicking open and someone entering the room, but she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge them. It was a pointed cough and a clearing of a throat before Sigyn finally pulled away from Loki, but only far enough to see who it was. She didn't recognize the man, but he was dressed in the standard black uniform.

"Iron man has been spotted on radar."

Loki took a deep breath, backing away. "It's started." He straightened up, looking directly at the man in uniform. "Tell the others."

Loki turned to Sigyn, looking at her with blue fire in his eyes. And for once, at last, that fire was all Loki. Sigyn gave him a wide smile. "Fight like hell," she told him.

"Stay safe."

And with a final look, Loki followed the man.

Sigyn took one last deep breath before stepping outside the room. Standing there, waiting, were six people, dressed in the same black uniforms. One of them, Sigyn was happy to know, was Liz. And not a single one of them was under Loki's control.

"Liz," Sigyn said. "It's nice to finally meet the real, unbrainwashed, you."

"I'm still me," Liz smiled. "I just don't have to answer to Loki anymore. But it will be an honor fighting next to you."

Sigyn nodded. "I'm grateful. And the rest of you, what are your names?"

"James Matthews"

"Levi Richardson."

"Kenneth Fischer."

"Mike Jacobs."

"Melinda Weber."

"Matthews, Richardson, Fischer, Jacobs, Weber," Sigyn recited back to them. "It's wonderful to meet you. If we live through this I'll be sure to thank you personally. For now, follow me. I'll fill you in on the plan during the ride down."

Sigyn led the way to the elevator, describing the details of what she had planned. By the time the group of seven reached the ground floor a blue light had risen from stark tower and opened a portal. The darkness of space could be seen through it. Sigyn could feel the incredible power it took to open that doorway, and to keep it open. But this was part of the plan. This had to happen for things to work out the best way possible.

"Alright," Sigyn said, her attention turning to the street the group had stepped onto. "Let's get started."


	23. Battle

The screaming had already started. Sigyn and her group followed the sounds, barely sparing a glance towards the sky where monsters poured through the portal. The main road they found was full of stopped cars, drivers out of their vehicles, looking up at the sky as Iron Man tried to stop the Chitauri that were coming through. Small explosions from above had people screaming and running to the nearest building.

"Listen up!" Sigyn yelled over all the noise. Her voice drew attention as the group of six all echoed her words. Silence fell for a moment, and Sigyn took her opportunity. "There is a mandatory evacuation for this area! I need all of you to remain calm as you retreat. Don't draw attention to yourselves. Please get as far away from Stark Tower as possible. And drag as many people with you that you can!"

Sigyn waited for a few seconds, expecting the crowd to take her advice and get away from the Chitauri. But they stood there, watching her. "Idiots," she mumbled under her breath. "Run!" And finally the stupid people did, running in the opposite direction of Stark Tower.

Sigyn could hear the destruction of the city growing closer to her. She had her priorities for now. Soon, she would be able to unleash the full force of her power.

For some time, Sigyn, Liz, Matthews, Richardson, Fischer, Jacobs, and Weber weaved through streets, pulling people out of crumbling buildings and burning cars, and occasionally rescuing someone from the hands of a Chitauri. They covered ten blocks as they stayed as much out of view of the fighting. A big point of relief for Sigyn was that there were five other teams out on the streets, doing exactly what she was right now. Helping people escape.

Sigyn couldn't have imagined the destruction or death toll if they hadn't gotten the warning of a threat out to important people in New York. She had purposefully let Barton know that the Tesseract would be activated in New York, but she didn't know if they were able to use that head start to begin evacuations. No, Sigyn knew the groundwork she had placed weeks ago when she had first thought of the plan was the real reason the number of casualties was going to be so low.

She couldn't help but take a second to remember.

* * *

 _It had been surprisingly easy to get within range of the Mayor. Liz had done a quick search for locations the Mayor was known to frequent, and by the end of a week, they knew which places he was likely to be at. The variation of schedule was quite disappointing for Sigyn. But it made things easier._

 _Before they got close to him, Sigyn, Liz, and half a dozen other people wrote letters. Many of them were about strange happenings and weird people showing up. They were odd-looking, some military, others so large that they couldn't be human. Most of the letters were threats. The eight of them would sit around a table for hours, writing out specific details of what the supposed terrorist organization was going to do._

 _They had decided on something simple, something that would be easy to replicate or cause if it actually came down to it. The threatening letters all suggested, or straight out said that there were going to be gas leaks popping up all over the city. And there was. Groups of agents, directed by Loki, hit important gas pipes in heavily populated areas simultaneously. After a dozen days of new leaks being discovered, the Mayor thought it a good idea to at least evacuate the areas that were likely to be affected most._

 _Because of Sigyn's plan, millions of people had been displaced from their homes, their jobs. But the displacement was worth it. Those millions of people would be far away from the destruction that was about to rain down on New York City._

* * *

A noise drew Sigyn out of her memory, a noise she had heard once before on a rock in the middle of space.

"Oh no," she whispered, turning to look towards the portal. A flying monster came barreling out, heading straight for the ground before leveling off to dump even more Chitauri onto buildings. "We have to get over there and stop that thing."

Almost as one, Sigyn and her group of six started running towards the beast. Sigyn had to be careful about this. She didn't want the heroes to know that she was here, that she had a crazy power that could cause a lot of damage, but that beast was going to kill a lot of people if she didn't help. Her first step would be to protect people inside the buildings. That thing was a rampaging beast, going farther than the evacuation had mandated. Those people would be trapped in the buildings, too afraid to come out, but also in danger of being crushed by the building.

"Listen up," Sigyn said, stopping and turning towards her group. "I need each one of you to go into those buildings and get as many people out as possible. If you can't do that, at least get them to a lower level of the building. This thing is going to wipe out anything it touches."

Sigyn saw the hesitation in their emotions, their unwillingness to leave her alone. "I don't care about what Loki ordered. All I know is that there are people in those buildings, people who could die if we don't help them! Now go!"

It took a few seconds for Weber to step away, but she finally did, followed by Richardson, then Jacobs, Matthews, and Fischer. Then it was just Liz and Sigyn standing there in the streets, the monster barreling towards them.

"What are you going to do?" Liz yelled over the approaching noise.

"Stop it."

Sigyn turned, not waiting to see if Liz did as she was told. She focused all her energy on the flying monster, burrowing deep into her mind for her power. She prepared herself, watching as it drew closer and closer until it was right on top of her. But explosions in its face caused it to turn, smashing into one of the buildings causing debris and rubble to fall directly where Sigyn was standing.

Acting quickly, Sigyn jumped out of the way of a giant piece of concrete before throwing out her power to protect a few people who just couldn't get out of the way fast enough. She didn't stop to catch her breath as she started running after the thing, looking up to see Iron Man high above, leading the beast away.

Sigyn ran as fast as she could, trying to anticipate where Iron Man would be leading the beast. If she had to guess, it would be where there were reinforcements, a place where he would have more help to take the thing out. The most likely place for that was Stark Tower.

Running full out, using spurts of the energy she gathered around her from the entire city to propel her forward, Sigyn was happy to see Iron Man weaving in and out of buildings, trying to get the thing to tire out before everyone fought it.

Ahead, in almost the center of the destruction, stood five people. The heroes. Dodging from car to car to keep out of sight, Sigyn got close enough to hear what they were saying. It was the redheaded woman who she heard speaking. "I don't see how that's a party."

Sigyn turned, looking back the way she came and saw the monster once again barreling towards her. She stood, sure that the others would be too focused on the beast to notice her, and began to gather her power. It was close to the ground, cars flying to the sides as it was hit, debris thrown into the air.

"Doctor Banner," Sigyn could hear faintly. "Now might be a really good time for you to get angry."

"That's my secret, Captain. I'm always angry."

And with those words, Sigyn's eyes widened as the man suddenly turned into a large green muscular monster, punching the thing right in the face. The whole monster continued moving, the momentum causing it to turn tail overhead, getting close to crushing civilians and the heroes. Sigyn, her power already posed to strike, protected everyone within range of the monster from being crushed or blown up by an explosion. She wasn't sure how she had reacted so quickly because she had no idea where the hell that explosion came from. She was glad her instincts had protected those people.

She witnessed the group of five heroes standing in a circle, their backs towards each other, ready for battle. Impressed by their coordination, Sigyn created daggers in each of her hands, throwing one right after another at the Chitauri nearest to her.

"Guys."

That one word caused Sigyn to look up, seeing the full might of the Chitauri descend out of the portal.

"Call it, Captain." The voice of Iron Man brought Sigyn's attention back to the ground.

"All right, listen up." Captain America turned towards the rest of the group. "Until we can close that portal, our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof. Eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you go to the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash."

"Can you give me a lift?" Clint asked Iron Man.

"Right," came the robotic voice. "Better clench up, Legolas."

With those words, Iron Man grabbed Clint and they took off into the sky.

"Thor, you got to try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You got the lightning. Light the bastards up."

With a nod, Thor swung Mjolnir in a circular pattern, creating enough force to lift him into the air.

Captain America looked at the redhead woman as he said, "You and me, we stay here on the ground. We keep the fighting here. And Hulk...Smash."

With those last words, the green beast jumped, crashing into a building.

It was time, Sigyn thought. It was as good as a time as any to show herself, to let the others know what she could do, to find out how she could help.

"What about me, Captain?" She asked as she jumped over fallen rock to reach them. "What can I do to help?"

Sigyn was unsurprised to find the Captain's shield up and the redhead's guns pointed directly at her face.

"Help?" asked the woman.

"Yes, help," replied Sigyn, looking her fellow redhead in the eye. "Like I already told the Captain. I'm trying to save the world too."

"But I thought you were helping Loki!"

"None of us know what we're up against. These Chitauri only have one purpose, and that's to conqueror this world. After spending my whole life here, I would really like for it not to explode."

"How do I know we can trust you?" Captain America asked.

"Because if I was the bad guy, you would have already been dead." With those words, Sigyn spun around, conjuring a shield as she went, blocking a body slam from a Chitauri. She pushed the thing off her shield, created a dagger, and stabbed through a weak spot on its helmet. Behind her, Sigyn could hear the other two fighting chitauri of their own. She guessed that with everything else going on, she was the least of their worries.

Sigyn held back, not wanting to use the full force of her power. Dagger after dagger flew from her hands, shields appearing wherever bolts from the enemy's weapons zoomed towards her. More than a few times she killed one before it reached the woman or Captain America, and they always looked surprised. But she didn't falter, swinging towards the next enemy.

The battle went on, and the power pulsed around her, begging to be released. All the energy around her, from the buildings, from the people, from the chitauri, was being sucked in closer and closer to her, until she could barely move with the tension of it, afraid that one wrong move would cause the power to burst out of her.

Sigyn watched as several steps away Captain America launched the woman into the air, only for her to grab ahold of one of the passing air vehicles. She couldn't focus on that as more chitauri were coming at her from all sides. There was no way she would be able to take all of them out with daggers, or push them away long enough for her to take care of them one by one. Seeing no other choice, Sigyn dipped into that power that was eager to escape. With a scream, she released her hold, pulverizing each chitauri within twenty feet of her. They all fell with a horrifying screech.

At the edge of the circle stood Captain America, breathing hard, his shield still in one hand. "Alright then," he said.

But Sigyn barely heard the words. A blast of energy came from Stark Tower, blue hues traveling in a dome from it. It didn't touch anything, didn't cause any rubble to fall, no chitauri to back down. The only thing it affected was Sigyn.

Once again, she could feel power racing through her mind. But this time, it was the cube calling to her, just like it had all those weeks ago. It was time for the next part of the plan, the most important part. Without a second thought, Sigyn took off. She ran to Stark Tower, avoiding debris and explosions, protecting herself the best she could as the cube showed her what needed to be done.

It took her some time to get to the building, then some more time for her to find an entrance that wasn't blocked by rubble. Finally, she made her way and rode the elevator up to the top floor. As soon as the doors were open, Sigyn rushed out of the elevator and outside to where the tesseract was creating the portal. Doctor Selvig was there, sitting against a structure on the roof, his eyes back to their normal color.

"Are you alright?" Sigyn asked, rushing up to him. There was a good-sized cut on his forehead, and he looked a little worse for wear. He didn't answer her question, only looked at her. "Come on, we have to get ready. It's all about to end."

Sigyn helped him stand, but they only flinched back as an explosion near the building sent debris flying. Sigyn was horrified to see that some of the debris was actually Loki. For the first time since the battle had started, Sigyn opened her mind, reaching out to see if Loki was himself or if he was still under that control. She was horrified to see that the sickness she had pushed from most of his mind had almost completely taken over. The shield she had put around his mind had failed.

Before she could try to push it back, to talk Loki into sense, the giant green monster was suddenly crashing onto the building, throwing Loki through glass windows and into the tower.

"Enough!" She heard him yell. "You are, all of you, beneath me. I am a god, you dull creature. And I will not be bullied by-,"

His speech was interrupted by crashing noises, and Sigyn cringed. She could feel the echo of his pain through the bond as he was smashed into the ground several times. She knew he would be fine, that it would take a lot more than that to kill him. But she could feel the difference immediately. His mind, seconds before was full of chaos and mind control, but now there was only confusion and the sense of freedom.

Sigyn searched desperately through his mind, searching for that sickness. But it was gone, no more of it remained. The only sign that it had been there at all was the cracked exterior, and a few more damaged parts. But it was gone.

"Loki," Sigyn whispered, tears gathering quickly in her eyes and falling to her cheeks. But she didn't have long to revel in the relief. The redhead from earlier walked into view, not noticing them standing behind a formation on the room.

"The scepter," Selvig said when he saw her.

The woman's head turned towards them, her eyes flickering to Sigyn then to Selvig.

"Doctor," she said.

"Loki's scepter," he continued. "The energy. The Tesseract can't fight, but you can't protect against yourself."

The woman walked forward, standing close to the doctor.

"It's not your fault," she said. "You didn't know what you were doing."

"Actually, I think I did. I built in a safety to cut their power source."

"Loki's scepter."

"It may be able to close the portal. And I'm looking right at it." Selvig leaned slightly over the edge of the building and the two women followed his gaze.

"I'll be right back," said the woman.

"Let's get it ready," Sigyn told Selvig as she walked away. Between the two of them by the time the woman had returned with the scepter, the computer reading the power of the tesseract was set up and ready.

The woman took hold of the scepter, approaching the Tesseract and the shield that surrounded it.

"Allow me," Sigyn said, walking up to her.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You can't know. You don't know me. But I know the Tesseract. I know what I have to do."

There was a long moment where the two redheads looked at each other, waiting to see if the other would say anything more. Finally, the woman handed Sigyn the scepter. "Only because I saw you fighting them."

Sigyn nodded, gripping the scepter tightly. Slowly, she pushed the tip of the scepter into the shield that surrounded it, pausing when the woman spoke.

"I can close it!" She said. "Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down!" She didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Wait, don't close it yet. We have a bomb on its way. Can you hold it?"

But Sigyn didn't answer. The Tesseract, under stress from the portal, had reached out to Sigyn for comfort, and to show her one last thing.

* * *

 _The vastness of space was something every species had marveled at for their entire existence. Each invention, each new technology, led to the exploration. For the humans of Earth, that adventure was only just beginning. For others, it was something that had been accomplished for centuries._

 _But scattered throughout the universe were the most powerful objects. Objects that could create portals, control minds, manipulate matter, have infinite power, control time, and destroy souls. For the safety of the universe, they had been hidden away, by their own volition, or by those who sought to protect the people they loved._

 _But the fight was coming, a war that would devastate not one planet, but every planet. And the plans had been going smoothly. Now, it all depended on one girl, one woman neither human or truly Asgardian. It was important for her to know where each of the stones were. She would need that knowledge to spread the word, to help build defenses so when the war finally did start, everyone stood a chance._

 _The stone that controlled space had already formed a strong bond with the woman. And because of that bond, it was able to show her every location of all it's brothers. Finally, things were speeding up._

 _Flashes of vision and knowledge swept through her mind so quickly she couldn't understand it._

 _In the flashes, she saw a group of beings, surrounded by sparkling purple energy._

 _Next was a woman, human-looking, and similar red energy surrounding her._

 _A man stood before her, dark hair, a red cape, and a green glowing amulet on a necklace._

 _A quick glance of another man, his entire body covered in blue and red skin and a glowing yellow gem embedded in his forehead._

 _She stood at the edge of a cliff, looking over to a red-skinned man who said, "A soul for a soul."_

 _A quick glimpse of a giant purple man snapping his fingers._

 _And finally, a brief moment where Sigyn saw the sacrifices that would have to be made._

* * *

Sigyn gasped as she was pulled back to her body, away from the darkness of space. She took several deep breaths, looking back at the redheaded woman. From her face, only a moment had passed. Sigyn had traveled through the universe, looking at worlds she may never know the names of, watching visions were show to her. But, back on Earth, after a millennia of space travel, a bomb was about to hit New York.

"Here he comes," the woman said, and Sigyn opened her mind just enough to feel Iron Man coming towards them fast, fear and sadness overwhelming him. Acting quickly, Sigyn drew a small kernel of hope from her own mind, planting it in his. If he was going to take that bomb through the portal, he needed a little bit of hope to get back.

Iron Man, Tony Stark inside, barely clipped the side of his building as he guided the bomb into the space beyond the portal. Sigyn, the woman, and Selvig watched as he went through, and waited. Sigyn could feel Stark through the portal, could tell he was still moving farther into space. And then, by some miracle, every chitauri Sigyn could see dropped, falling on buildings. She sighed relief, knowing that this particular threat was over.

They waited, watching as an explosion lit up the darkness beyond the portal. "Close it!" Yelled the woman, but Sigyn refused to listen. She could feel Stark coming closer, falling back towards Earth by some gift of life. She could feel that if she closed the portal now, if she followed what the woman had said, there was a very good chance that he wouldn't make it through. Instead of closing the portal, Sigyn pulled the scepter out of the shield and handed it to the woman.

"Don't close it until you know he's out." With those words, Sigyn shoved her palms into the sky, creating the biggest and strongest barrier possible. She felt Stark approaching the barrier and softened it enough for him to plunge through before creating the hard shell once more.

Sigyn screamed when the explosion hit her barrier, dropping to her knees. The nuclear reaction tore her power to shreds, but she held on, replacing each weakened patch until finally, the woman closed the portal. Sigyn collapsed to the ground.

"What was that?" the woman asked.

"Me," Sigyn said, gasping for breath as she sat up. "I'm Sigyn by the way."

"Natasha."

"Nice to meet you, Natasha. Now, please tell me it's over?"


	24. Consequences

**This is it! The last chapter. I'm sorry it has taken so long to get this out, but what can I say? Life and good things took priority. As of this chapter being posted, all other chapters have been edited for grammatical and spelling changes. There were a few minor changes, just a way to get the flow of the story moving better, nothing that you need to go back and read again.**

 **A few facts about this story: The shortest chapter was chapter 22. The longest chapter was chapter 17. This story has approximately 80,000 words.**

 **For the last time (for this story anyway), thank you all for reading. I appreciate you sticking with me and the story as I learned the characters and also improved on my writing skills.**

 **One last thing. I do plan on writing a sequel, though it is going to take me a lot of time. Keep checking back on my profile and this story for the next installment: _Fealty._**

 **Thank you.**

* * *

Natasha had run off almost immediately, speaking into the microphone in her ear. It took Sigyn a little longer to stand, and longer even for her to help Selvig up, then down to the building. Loki was sitting on the steps inside the building, the six avengers standing above him.

"Stand up, let's go," Stark was saying, nudging Loki's boot with his foot. With a groan, Loki stood, his eyes flickering to Sigyn. "Ah, there you are."

Most of the eyes turned to her, only Natasha watching to make sure Loki didn't do anything stupid. "We saw you fighting down there," Stark said, stepping towards Sigyn. "Don't think that changes anything."

"I didn't expect it to," Sigyn said, helping Selvig lean against the bar. Without him to balance her, she was fairly unsteady. "Like I said. I only wanted to save the world."

"Helping save the world or not, you helped him create this battle," Captain America said.

"And I accept the consequences of my actions."

"You guys," said Natasha, eyes still on Loki. "She was the one that prevented the bomb from coming through the portal."

"We aren't going to decide anything right now," Stark said, turning his back to Sigyn to face the others. "Let's just get them out of the building and to S.H.I.E.L.D." The rest of them agreed.

Sigyn was just as tired as the rest of them. The barriers around her mind were becoming weak, letting in faint trickles of emotions. Anger, fatigue, but the strongest one was relief. The battle was over. She had used all her energy in preventing the bomb from hitting New York, to save Stark from floating through space for the rest of eternity. And it was over now, there was nothing more she had to do this day.

The group left the elevator and marched through the lobby of the building, where Loki decided a little bit of snark was called for. In an instant, standing where Loki had been, stood a second version of Captain America. "On my way down to coordinate search and rescue!" He said, then changed back into himself. "I mean, honestly! How do you think you'll be-," he started again. Thor, having none of his sarcasm, slapped a mask over his mouth.

"Shut up."

People stood, gawking at them as agents from S.H.I.E.L.D. and military officials tried to take control of the situation. After a lot of discussion, which turned more to bickering, and a brief call to S.H.I.E.L.D., a plan had been put into place for the two prisoners. The group all escorted Sigyn and Loki to another building. By the time they reached the top, an aircraft was already waiting for them. After being cuffed and properly secured within the aircraft and sure that they wouldn't escape, the group of heroes left, leaving Sigyn and Loki surrounded by men with Phase 2 Weapons. Loki sighed.

Turns out, S.H.I.E.L.D. only had one prison cell to hold over-powered beings, and from what Sigyn could tell, it was a fairly recent installation. She had no idea how humans had developed anti-Asgardian technology, probably something to do with the Tesseract, but it seemed to make Loki angry. Inside the cell, Loki could use none of his magic, no simple illusions inside or outside the four walls, not even able to use a bit of his magic to keep the room warm.

Along with Loki's inability to use his powers, Sigyn's were gone as well. It had taken until the second day for her to be sure, but she was so exhausted that she fell asleep almost as soon as she laid on one of the beds attached to the wall. It was only when she had been woken by the clattering of metal against concrete that she knew for sure her powers were being suppressed. And for once, she was relieved.

In the past, she had been forced to protect her mind from those around her, to block out emotions so they wouldn't affect her or drive her to insanity. Even when she had been starved almost to death, not many visitors coming around her cell, the emotions pushed in, leaving her mind to be shredded by other people's feelings. Now, for the first time in her life, she didn't have to worry about anyone's emotions, didn't have to worry about blocking them out, or be afraid that she might accidentally affect them in some way. It was wonderful.

The bond she shared with Loki could not be hidden from her, or from him, but it was greatly diminished and she could no longer get a good read of his emotions. She reached out with her mind, trying to feel the guards around the cell, but again, there was nothing.

Sigyn opened her eyes, turning her head towards where the clattering had been, finding a tray of food on the ground. She looked over to where Loki sat on his bunk, a tray of food on his lap. Sigyn stood, stretched for a second, then retrieved the second tray before sitting back on her bunk.

"Well," she said. "At least it isn't the sludge they had been so fond of feeding me."

"Yes, this is truly five-star treatment." Loki's voice was full of bitter sarcasm.

Sigyn looked up from her food. "You're only going to make this worse."

"I honestly can't think of a way of how this could get worse."

"I can," Sigyn said quietly, grabbing the spoon from the tray and using it to scoop up some soup from a bowl.

"And how's that?" Loki's tone was still sarcastic, but behind it, Sigyn could tell there was desperation.

"You could be in the hands of the one who brainwashed you." Sigyn's voice, while still quiet, was firm. "We could both be dead, or worse, one of us could be dead and the other suffering from the broken bond. I could still be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s test subject, tortured when it pleased them, starved to insanity. Without us trying to prevent it, a whole lot more people could have died and been seriously injured. I think whoever it was trying to control you would have just found another way with or without you. And your brother, Loki. Thor very well could have died during the battle, or on the trip here. You yourself could have killed him by dropping him out of an aircraft. Don't think I've forgotten.

"So, things could be much worse. We both knew we would have to face the consequences of what we did. You can whine and scream about it, or you can suck it up and try to redeem yourself. I, for one, am going to try to make the best out of this as possible."

Sigyn sat back into the wall and continued to eat her soup, acting like she didn't care about the effect her words had on Loki. She did care, and she knew exactly how those words were going to affect him. She needed him to jump out of his misery. He, at least, would most likely be going back with his brother, to face his father. If he was bitter and sarcastic when he went to meet his father things wouldn't go well.

They would most likely be separated, something that would be painful as the bond they shared

But most of all, she didn't want to fight with him. She hadn't given it a whole lot of thought since they lost the battle, but it was something that dwelled on her mind before they had gone to Germany. Based off of each of their history, Thor was mostly likely to take Loki home. Sigyn would be surprised if Thor allowed Loki to remain on Earth, especially after everything he had done or been involved in.

On that same note, Sigyn was sure S.H.I.E.L.D. would fight to keep her on Earth, despite being Asgardian. Despite Loki having told her some time ago that there was no other explanation for her long life and powers, she still doubted it. She had purposefully avoided thinking about that conversation, as well the other implications it had. She was almost positive that S.H.I.E.L.D. saw her as an asset, one that they surely would not like to forfeit.

They would be separated, she was sure. The bond between them would remain intact, but it would stretch and become painful after such a long-distance away. She didn't want to be far from him, but she also didn't want to suffer through the stretching of the bond. She wanted them to both enjoy the time they had left with each other, and to also be prepared for the pain of the stretching of the bond.

"I don't want to fight," Sigyn said after a long pause.

Loki didn't say anything for a long while, until after both of them had finished eating their food and laid their trays next to the door.

"It is difficult, my mind being my own once more." His voice was quiet, sounding as if he almost didn't want to talk about this but knew he needed to. "The last several months, my focus has been aimed at a single goal. Protecting my mind. You aided in that. Now that the hold is gone, however, I found myself searching for another goal to keep me occupied. Returning to Asgard, where Odin will never believe that I was not acting entirely upon my own wishes, has been the only thing I can think about."

"Your own wishes or not, Odin is still your father. He would believe you if you told him the truth."

"No, I don't believe that he would."

Sigyn shook her head, realizing that this was one battle she would never be able to win. With a small sigh, she stood from her spot on the cot and sat down beside Loki. She took his right hand and laid it on her lap, clutching it with both of hers. She leaned her head on his shoulder, just wanting to be near him, enjoying his company as much as she could.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of not having to constantly shield her mind from emotions around her, not having to worry about holding her constantly fighting power back. While Loki's hands were colder than hers, she enjoyed the way their hands fit together, the feel of his fingers.

They sat like that for some time, eventually both scooting back enough so their backs were against the wall. They didn't talk, not having much to say to each other, but understanding that each person needed their own time to prepare for when the door opened.

Sigyn had dozed off, Loki's right arm now around her shoulder, her head in the crook of his neck, when she heard the click of the door. Loki pulled her just a little tighter and she opened her eyes to find Thor waiting at the door.

"Let us go," he said, and Sigyn followed his eyes to where Loki's arm sat around her shoulders.

Slowly, as if that would make time stop, Loki drew his arm away, then stood. He straightened his clothes before turning back to Sigyn.

"Stay strong," she told him.

"Stay strong," he repeated back to her, his voice just barely loud enough to hear.

Loki walked up to his brother, a smile on his face. "All ready to go then, brother?"

"Just one thing," said Thor. The movement was quick, and Loki stared in shock as shackles were placed on his hands.

"Brother-," Loki began, but Thor just pulled him out of the room.

After a second, Natasha appeared at the door. "You're next," she said, looking at Sigyn.

Sigyn nodded, standing and walking to Natasha. In her hands was a second pair of shackles, and Sigyn held her hands out. Once they were snapped on, Natasha gestured for her to step out. Immediately Sigyn threw up the walls in her mind. The emotions of those around her began pressing in, but she built up the wall, strengthening it. She couldn't reach out with her mind, and a quick glance at the shackles in which were gently glowing red explained why she wasn't able. She could use her powers to affect herself, but the shackles prevented her from using them outside her body.

The group of men dressed in black, including Natasha, led her down the hallway, into an elevator, and stepped out 30 seconds later to the largest group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents she had seen in one location. She searched around, looking at all the faces, some familiar that had been controlled by Loki, but most of them not. She couldn't find the one person she was truly worried about. She saw Weber, part of the team that had accompanied her through New York, just to Sigyn's left.

"Where's Liz?" she called out to her.

But Weber was stone-faced. And after a brief moment where the two women stared at each other, Sigyn finally realized. Liz wasn't there. Liz would never stand in this building again.

Sigyn gasped with the sudden shock and grief that washed through her. One of the guards behind her pushed her along, and that's what triggered the tears. They ran heavily down her cheeks, dripping down her chin to her shirt, causing her vision to become very blurry. Liz, the sweet woman who had been kind to her when no one, not a single soul, had given her a second thought. She had brought Sigyn books, and a hairbrush, had fought for her basic rights while locked in a cell. She had cared for her after her rescue, and not just because Loki had told her to do so. She had been so kind. Liz, who, despite having been under Loki's mind control, still followed her into battle once her mind was free.

Sigyn couldn't tell where she was walking, just followed the blur of red hair in front of her. They stepped outside the building where a car waited. Barton was there, casually leaning against the car, opening the back door once she had approached close enough.

"Get in," he said. She did, climbing in slowly, her vision still obscured by tears. Once the door was closed, she used her hands to wipe the tears away, rubbing her face to try to get the emotion off. Natasha climbed into the driver's seat, Barton in the passenger seat, and then they were moving.

Sigyn closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths, trying to shove her emotions down deep. Where ever she was going, she was going to have to keep her emotions under control. Whatever base S.H.I.E.L.D. was going to hold her at, she didn't want to make a fuss and make herself not liked. Not that it had helped the first time.

When she was under control, Sigyn opened her eyes and watched as New York passed by. The streets filled with cars, people on the sidewalks. Sigyn was surprised when they turned into Central Park. Why would they bring her here? There was no way S.H.I.E.L.D. would have a base so public as this.

The car finally stopped, Barton opened the door, and Sigyn saw what was going on. She felt a thrill of excitement. Not ten feet away from her, Thor and Loki landed, Thor's hammer slightly spinning. At the sight of Loki, Sigyn's heart hammered. They couldn't be letting her go with them. Could they? And of course, Loki had that muzzle on him again. Sigyn wondered what he had said this time.

"Come on," Natasha said as Thor and Loki approached a stone formation in the brick. "It's time for you to go."

Sigyn looked at Natasha. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Wasn't my call," she said, but gave Sigyn as small smile.

Thor and Loki stood in a circular brick formation, and Natasha led Sigyn there as well. Sigyn looked around, finding Tony Stark, Captain America, Bruce Banner, and Doctor Selvig there. The entire group watched as Selvig and Banner moved the Tesseract from the case Stark had brought with him, to a clear holding cell thing. Really, Sigyn wasn't sure what it was. As they were doing that, Natasha and Barton kept an eye on Loki and Sigyn as Thor said goodbye to Selvig, then the rest of the group.

It was only when Thor finally offered Loki one end of the container the Tesseract was in, did Sigyn actually worry they were going to leave her here. But Loki took the handle with his right hand and offered his left to Sigyn. She looked at Thor, waiting for him to disapprove, but all he did was watch her, waiting.

Sigyn took Loki's hand, and with a final nod at everyone else, Thor twisted the handle. In a spectacle of blue fire, the three of them were gone.


End file.
